


The Toxic Ninja

by DSP21



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: HeartGold & SoulSilver | Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver Versions
Genre: F/M, Pokemon Battles, Pokemon Fanfiction, Pokemon Gym Leaders, Pokemon Journey, Shipping, The Elite Four (Pokemon)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:49:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23383312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DSP21/pseuds/DSP21
Summary: 20 year old Janine is having trouble finding her place in this world. This story will tell you how she carved her own path.
Relationships: Anzu | Janine/Hayato | Falkner, Kyou | Koga/Karin | Karen
Comments: 15
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the beginning of my Pokémon story. I'm not sure how long it will be, but I intend to make more chapters. Please let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your thoughts. As for Janine's new hair style, I got the idea from this art piece by DelusionsOfSquallor on Devianatart. Check them out. They're pretty good!
> 
> For reference, here are the characters' ages:
> 
> Whitney - 18 years old  
> Janine - 20 years old  
> Falkner - 22 years old  
> Karen - 35 years old  
> Koga - 37 years old
> 
> Ships:
> 
> Janine x Falkner

_Gotta get this to Father,_ Janine thought anxiously, carrying a small metal box in her hands while dashing through the hallways of the Indigo Plateau. Her pink ninja scarf flailed in the wind as she rushed past numerous people, pushing door after door open until finally reaching her father’s room. The room was not unlike that of a forest; grass covered the floor and moss adorned the walls around the room. The sides of the room were decorated with the shadows of trees while stone tiles graced the floor. In the center of the room stood an older man who was in deep concentration. This man possessed spiky hair that was of a greying teal hue. He wore a black ninja uniform, a fishnet undershirt, a red scarf, silver leg plates, and black tabi socks.

“Hello, Father!” Janine shouted quickly, bowing her head while gasping for breath. Standing next to her father, the similarity in their outfits became more noticeable.

Koga slowly opened his eyes. A small smile crept onto his lips. “Afternoon, Janine,” he greeted in a tone that was serious but also relaxed. His eyes locked onto the metal box. “I suppose that is my lunch,” he assumed with a smirk.

Janine nodded eagerly, placing the box in her father’s hands. When the two stood side by side, she realized how similar her attire was compared to his. She wore a black ninja uniform with baggy pants that bore an incredible resemblance towards Koga’s, a pink sash and matching scarf, a brown undershirt that enveloped her shoulders, purple-and-pink wristbands and anklets, and white tabi socks. She kept her purple hair tied up with a yellow ribbon, giving the back of her hair a far spikier appearance. “I made your favorite,” she said eagerly, hoping her cooking would not disappoint.

Koga chuckled as he opened the box, revealing an assortment of meats, vegetables, and rice. “Thank you, Janine,” he said, using his left hand to ruffle her hair.

Janine smiled, placing her hands together and performing a respectful bow. “You’re welcome,” she stated proudly.

“It’s always good to know how to cook,” Koga admitted with a chuckle. “The food around here isn’t particularly good for my health.”

“That’s what you got me for,” Janine replied happily.

Koga’s smile contorted into a frown. “Are you sure you don’t mind bringing me lunch every day?” he asked, observing the fact that Janine was panting. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to...”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Janine stated between gasps, waving her left hand in refusal. “I like seeing you every day.”

“I know that, but there are less exhausting ways to get to the League,” Koga retorted, placing the metal box on the ground. “You always run here everyday. I know it’s pretty easy to cross the towns in this region, but it’s got to be tiring at some point. Why not just have Crobat fly you here?” he suggested, referring to the poison-and-flying type Pokémon that Janine had used as her battling partner.

Janine shook her head. “It’s part of my training, Father,” she replied. “I want to get stronger than you and I can’t do that by taking shortcuts.”

Koga sighed. “You’re as stubborn as I used to be,” he said with a smile, crossing his arms. He remembered back when he was a teenager, always rushing around while searching for new training methods. The only thing that made him stop and slow down for a while was becoming a father at seventeen years old. It did not help matters that he was a single parent as well. He had raised Janine as he continued to train, giving her his fighting spirit and the need to become stronger. He always made sure that she was well fed, even if he usually relied on take out. He considered himself lucky that one of Janine’s school classes taught her how to cook, although that instilled a sense of guilt in himself for never being able to teach her himself. Looking at where he was now at thirty-seven years old, mostly keeping to himself and usually interacting only with his daughter, he supposed he still possessed an iota of stubborness.

Janine grinned. “Like father, like daughter,” she stated.

“You put a lot of training in your own skills,” Koga observed, which was music to his daughter’s ears. “However,” he stated, raising his right index finger and startling Janine slightly. “You need to make sure you don’t overdo it,” he commanded, causing Janine to groan.

“Come on, Father,” Janine complained. “I’m not doing anything you wouldn’t have,” she pointed out.

“True,” Koga admitted. “But I’ve been on this planet for much longer than you have, so I know _quite_ a bit more than you do.”

“You wouldn’t be my inspiration if you didn’t have so much knowledge,” Janine replied, rubbing the back of her hair happily.

Koga sighed. “I appreciate the kind words,” he stated, attempting to regain his composure. “But I need you to take these words to heart: there are other ways to train. You’ll lose yourself if you become stuck only training your body. Relaxation is another form of training, you know. At the moment, your mind and soul are still weak.”

Janine’s eyes widened in surprise. She knew that she was not the strongest around, but she had not expected her father to outright call her weak. “What are you talking about, Father?” she questioned. “I can relax! And how is my mind and soul weak?”

“You’re too easily angered, for one,” Koga retorted, making veins on Janine’s head twitch even more. “Janine, just take a deep breath,” he said sternly.

Janine goraned before she let oxygen fill and deplete her lungs quickly. “There,” she stated.

“You did it too fast,” Koga observed, making Janine groan even more. “Your mind is weak because you only focus on training yourself, and to an excessive degree. Your bond with your Pokémon is very weak. How many times have you been defeated at your own gym?”

“Uh...” Janine murmured, losing the ability to speak.

“How many times?” Koga questioned, making Janine bite her tongue.

“Too many times!” Janine finally blurted out loud. “I’m sorry, Father!” The more she thought about it, the more she realized how right he was. Even her Crobat, which could evolve from a Golbat through friendship, had been neglected over the years in favor of her own training. She had believed that an emphasis on her own training would pass down onto her partners and strengthen them as well, but she now saw that she had ignored their training.

“It’s fine as long as you can rectify the mistake,” Koga assured her. “With your soul, it’s too corrupted by your obsession to be like me.”

Janine raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” she questioned.

“I appreciate your respect for me, but you need to carve your own path,” Koga suggested. “Do you want to live in my shadow forever?” he asked.

“No,” Janine murmured, understanding completely what he meant. Most places she went, she was recognized as Koga’s daughter, not as the Gym Leader of Fuchsia City nor as just Janine. She had usually viewed being seen as Koga’s daughter to be an accomplishment, but now she was not so sure. Her father consumed her life entirely, being the inspiration of her wardrobe and Pokémon style. “I just want to become stronger than you, Father.”

“And why is that?” Koga questioned.

Janine froze, trying to think of a somewhat competent answer. “I... don’t know...” she choked up, fighting back tears. “I guess I wanted to make you proud...”

Koga sighed. “You should do it to make yourself proud,” he suggested, ruffling her hair once more. “I’ve always been proud of you, Janine. You’re a remarkable young woman, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement.”

“I don’t feel remarkable,” Janine admitted, rubbing her wet eyes. “You make everything look natural. How do you do it?”

“I’ve always been focused on the goal of self-improvement,” Koga answered confidently. “You’re still young, so you don’t have as much experience as I do. When you’re young, you feel like you’re invincible and that feeling is great, but it’s not something you should latch onto. Your goals in life should reflect upon you, not me nor anybody else.”

Janine took a deep breath and nodded. “I understand, Father,” she stated.

“Are you going to take those words to heart?” he asked, prompting another nod.

“I promise I will,” she assured him.

A door behind them opened, revealing a woman of similar age to Koga. This woman had pale skin like Janine and Koga did and long silvery-blue hair that reached past her waist. She wore a yellow spaghetti strap cropped tank top that exposed her midriff, white knee-length pants with yellow beads, and yellow high heels. Her tank top possessed four straps, two on each side that strapped over her bare shoulders. The thirty-five year old woman strut through the room, walking up to the man and his daughter. “Long time no see, Janine,” she greeted cooly, giving a slow wave to the young woman. “It’s rare that anybody sees you here. You’re usually gone before anybody can see you.” Her eyes locked onto Koga. “You’re aging well, Koga,” she joked, observing his greying hair.

Koga grimaced. “You don’t have to rub it in,” he muttered.

Janine chuckled nervously. “Hey, Karen,” she greeted, hoping she had regained some of her lost composure from her conversation with her father. “How’s it going?” she asked the Elite Four member. Karen ranked even higher in terms of power within the Elite Four, being even stronger than her father.

“Well, just a bit bored without any challengers,” Karen admitted. “I don’t suppose you want to challenge me, do you?” she asked with a devious smirk.

Janine immediately shook her head. “No thanks!” she shouted, making Koga and Karen laugh. “I... need to train more...”

“That’s fine,” Karen said warmly. “Don’t want to bite off more than you can chew.” Her eyes caught onto the box of food sitting on the ground. “Speaking of which... Koga, were you intending to share that?”

Koga laughed nervously. “You weren’t supposed to see that...” he murmured, picking up the box.

Karen’s eyes locked onto Janine’s. “It seems you’ve been hiding your cook from us,” she joked, playfully poking Janine’s ribs with her left elbow. “Can you make me something? I’ve been dying for something actually good around these parts.”

“Uh...” Janine murmured, unsure of how to respond. She had never spoken to Karen before, only seeing her briefly every once in a while. Karen was aware of her existence, having met Janine briefly when she was still a teenager as her father was crowned as a member of the Elite Four a few years ago. Janine tried to think of something clever, hoping that she would look the least bit cool in front of one of the greatest trainers of her time. “How much are you willing to pay for it?” she asked nervously. _Ah! I screwed it up!_ she wanted to shout.

Karen merely giggled. “That’s the spirit,” she replied, snapping her fingers. “If you are good at something, never do it for free.”

Koga raised an eyebrow. “What?” he asked, flabbergasted. “What kind of values are you trying to teach my daughter?”

Karen chuckled apprehensively, quickly shaking her head. “I’m only kidding!” she insisted. She returned her gaze to Janine. “So how much do you charge?”

“Karen!” Koga snapped.

“Sorry,” Karen apologized with a grin. “You’re so tense, Koga. Don’t you ever talk to anybody besides your daughter?”

“I’ll just leave you to it, then,” Janine murmured, sidestepping her way out the door. She quickly dashed away as she could hear Koga shouting while Karen was merely laughing.

Falkner. Janine’s only friend. The blue-haired twenty-two year old stood within the Celadon Department Store. He wore a white sash, some indigo shorts, black-and-red wristbands, a white-outlined blue jacket decorated with four white buttons, white socks and black shoes. His blue hair covered his right eye, causing him to try to blow it out of the way. He stood between two shelves of numerous items on the fourth floor, waiting for a certain somebody to show up. He tapped his left foot against the ground. _Where is she?_ he wondered, beginning to whistle to kill the time.  


“Are you really whistling?” a voice dripping with sarcasm asked. He looked to his left and nearly jumped upon seeing Janine standing inches away from his face.

“Ah!” he yelled, bumping into the shelf to his right.

Janine giggled. “What, did I scare you?” she asked with a mirthful grin.

“No,” Falkner insisted, readjusting himself to the lack of breathing room. He had known Janine for a few months, the two having met in the same spot as they both stood now. He raised an eyebrow upon noticing an anxious look on Janine’s face. “You doing okay?” he asked.

Janine nodded. “Never better,” she stated quickly. “So what’s been going on with you, bird brain?” she questioned, crossing her arms. She loved to make reference to his obsession with training bird-themed Pokémon, knowing full well that the term annoyed him.

Falkner chuckled to hide his annoyance. “Don’t call me that, you snake,” he retorted with a grin.

“Very creative,” Janine retorted with a pout. Their last few conversations usually had the duo discussing their fathers. Much like Janine, Falkner had inherited his status as a Gym Leader from his father. Unlike Janine, Falkner resided in the Johto region, which rested alongside the Kanto region that the ninja took residence in. The two would always meet in this spot to chat every Monday, usually finding a new way to talk about one’s father was better than the other’s.

“What do you got on your mind?” he asked, noticing Janine’s eyes shifting around. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” she assured him. “What do you want to talk about today?”

“Oh! Uh...” Falkner scratched his chin, hoping to create an icebreaker. “Anything exciting happen with your dad?”

“Yeah, I guess...” Janine murmured, looking down at her feet.

Falkner tilted his head in confusion. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

Janine sighed. “Maybe later,” she said with a sigh. “What’s been up with you?”

Falkner shrugged. “Just taking care of the gym back home,” he surmised. “Although I can’t say my trainers love me enough to dress up as me,” he joked, referring to the trainers inside Janine’s gym who would dress up as the ninja to confuse challengers.

“I suppose I’m not really original that way,” Janine joked, rubbing her shoulders furiously.

“Everything okay?” Falkner asked, noticing the anxiety in her motions. “You seem really tense.”

“A little,” Janine conceded, rubbing her hands together. “I’ve been kind of stressed out lately.” She let out another sigh. “I’ve got a lot of things on my mind right now. Can you give me a few minutes?”

“Uh... sure,” Falkner replied, scratching his head.

“Thanks,” Janine stated, dashing away and running down the escalators. She soon found herself resting her back against the outside wall of the store. _Dang it,_ she wanted to say. _How could I screw things up like that?_ She hated to keep her friend waiting, but she could not find the willpower to speak to him.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” a cheerful voice asked, startling her. She looked to her left to see a young woman only two years younger than her. This person had pink hair pulled into two ponytails and two small yellow barrettes that helped hold it back. She wore a white shirt with red stripes over the end of the sleeves and down the middle with gold buttons, denim shorts, a black undershirt, and long black-and-blue striped socks that nearly covered her entire shins. Her right arm possessed a red wristband and her shoes had the same red and white pattern as her shirt.

“Who are you?” Janine questioned, keeping on her toes. She supposed there was a certain irony in a ninja being startled, but she was not about to say that out loud.

“Name’s Whitney,” the eager young lady replied. “I couldn’t help but noticed you were pretty upset when you were talking to your boyfriend. If you want, you can talk to me,” she offered. “I’m a good listener.”

Janine raised an eyebrow. While was happy to take the offer, there was a certain something about what Whitney said that bothered her. “He’s… not my boyfriend,” she stated sternly, her cheeks becoming crimson.

Whitney chuckled. “ _Sure_ he isn’t,” she said with a wink. “I know Falkner. We’re both Gym Leaders back in Johto. He wouldn’t just visit some girl in another region unless something was going on between them.”

“Uh... I don’t know...” Janine muttered, looking down at the ground. “I can’t imagine that many guys liking me.”

Whitney tilted her head in confusion. “Why’s that?” she questioned.

“I’m... too stubborn...” Janine murmured, losing confidence in her voice.

“Eh, some people find that attractive,” Whitney replied with a shrug.

“It’s not that,” Janine muttered. “It’s my father.”

“You’re dating your dad?” Whitney asked, surprised by such an idea. “That’s... kind of weird.”

Janine’s eyes widened in terror. She held out her hands and shook them frantically. “No! I’m not dating my father!” she shouted. “And I’m not dating bird brain, either!”

“Is that your pet name for him?” Whitney asked, now sporting a devious grin. “What does he call you?”

Janine sighed. “You’re not going to drop this, are you?” she asked.

“Probably not,” Whitney admitted with a giggle. She held up her left index finger. “But first, let’s talk about your dad. What’s going on with him?”

Janine rubbed her shoulders nervously. “It’s hard to explain...”

“Then explain it slowly,” Whitney suggested. “That’ll make it easier.”

“Okay,” Janine stated, taking a deep breath. “My father is Koga.”

“Yeah, I know,” Whitney replied. “Everyone knows who your dad is.”

“Let me finish,” Janine demanded.

“Sorry,” Whitney apologized, scratching her head sheepishly.

“He told me that I need to train myself in a new way,” Janine began. “I’m too much like him and he wants me to carve my own path.”

“I see...” Whitney murmured, intrigued by Janine’s inner turmoil.

“My entire life, he was my inspiration and now he tells me that I need to inspire myself,” Janine continued, looking down at her attire. She had modeled her outfit after her father’s, which was something she used to be quite proud of. “Everything I’ve ever done in my life was because of him. I don’t know how to do things my way. I just wanted to make him proud and he tells me to try doing something that makes me happy.” She nearly puked saying that last sentence. “Him being happy made _me_ happy! How am I supposed to be happy on my own?”

“What about Falkner?” Whitney asked. “You didn’t talk to him because of your dad. You talked to him because you wanted to.”

“Even then, we still talked about my father,” Janine murmured weakly. “I’m obsessed with him. He’s my hero... or at least, he was... I mean, he still is, but...”

“Maybe you should do something that’ll take your mind off it,” Whitney suggested. “How about a one-on-one Pokémon battle?” she asked, pulling out a Poké Ball.

“Okay, but if I win, you’re going to stop asking me questions about bird brain,” Janine replied with a smirk, pulling out her own Poké Ball.

“Okay, but if _I_ win, you and Falkner are going out at a restaurant back in my home city,” Whitney replied with a smug grin. “I know all the best restaurants there.”

Janine chuckled. “That isn’t going to happen. You’re on.” She tossed her Poké Ball onto the ground, watching it open and releasing Crobat. Her partner was a purple, bat-like Pokémon with a small, round body. She had long, pointed ears, yellow eyes with red pupils, and a small mouth that had her teeth bared. On her body were two pairs of wings: an upper pair that was slightly larger and a lower pair that developed from her legs. Both pairs have green-blue membranes, but the lower pair’s membranes were only visible from the back. The upper wings had two claw-like fingers near the middle. On the bottom of her body were a pair of stubby feet or tufts of fur. _Don’t fail me now,_ Janine thought to her Crobat.

Whitney gave an underhanded softball toss, releasing her Miltank. The normal type Pokémon was bipedal and bovine. Her body was mostly pink, with a yellow belly and black, angular markings along her back. A black hood-like marking surrounds its face with a pink, triangular mark on its forehead. There were two small horns on top of her head. She possessed large, blue eyes, a black nose, a wide mouth, as well as long, black, floppy ears with yellow insides. She had a yellow udder with four pink teats. All four of her limbs ended in black, cloven hooves, and her long tail is tipped with a black sphere. “I’m warning you, I’m good,” Whitney stated, feeling her bond with Miltank surge with exuberance.

Janine raised an eyebrow. “What kind of Pokémon is that?” she asked, observing the cow-like Pokémon.

“Miltank!” Whitney exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “She’s my best friend!” Miltank nodded as she stomped her feet against the ground, raring for battle.

“Okay then,” Janine murmured, confused by Miltank’s bizarre appearance. She had never seen a Pokémon like Miltank, but then again, she had rarely traveled outside out of the Kanto region. She had been to Johto a few times, but her knowledge on Pokémon outside those in her home region was quite limited. Janine pointed her right index at Miltank. “Crobat, use Supersonic!” she commanded. Crobat released yellow sonic waves that quickly approached Miltank. Her intention was to inflict confusion on her opponent, leaving the Miltank helpless as Crobat would tear her to shreds. However, Miltank was not afraid. The cow Pokémon simply grinned, almost mimicking Whitney in that regard.

“You know what to do!” Whitney exclaimed as Miltank sidestepped the attack, horrifying Janine.

_Oh no…_ the ninja murmured inside her thoughts. _That was supposed to hit…_

“Use Rollout!” Whitney shouted, prompting Miltank to curl into a ball and start rolling towards Crobat.

“Get out of the way!” Janine demanded frantically, but it was too late. Crobat’s speed was not enough to get away as Miltank bounced off the wall behind Janine’s Pokémon and slammed herself into Crobat’s back. The poison-and-flying type screeched out in pain, making Janine flinch in horror as she watched Crobat collapse out of the air. Her self-esteem had been shattered enough today already but seeing her Pokémon hurt as much as she did was too much. Miltank bounced her way off Crobat and rolled around the weakened Pokémon, circling around her endlessly.

“Use Rollout one more time!” Whitney demanded, holding out her hand to give her command.

“Get back up, Crobat!” Janine pleaded, clenching her fists. “Crobat, I need you to win this! You can do it! Just get back up!” she begged, on the verge of tears. Crobat struggled to pick herself up, barely finding the strength to get back in the air. Her wings ached, shaking constantly as she gasped for air. Miltank bounced into the air and crashed upon Crobat once more, putting her down for the count. This Rollout was even stronger than the last one, creating a crater in the ground where Crobat’s body lay as Miltank rolled up back to Whitney. “Crobat!” Janine screamed, running over to her unconscious Pokémon. “I’m sorry...” she whimpered as she got on her knees, scooping her partner into her arms.

“Yeah! We did it!” Whitney exclaimed, giving her cheerful Miltank a high five. “Good job!” she stated, proudly patting Miltank on the head, who gave her a happy moo in response. “I knew you could do it!”

Janine gritted her teeth, wanting to say every curse word known to man. _How can she beat me so easily? I’m not that weak!_ Her father’s words echoed back into her head, angering her further. _Your bond with your Pokémon is very weak._ She had been beaten before, but something about this loss stung worse than the rest. She felt like Whitney was simply toying with her the entire time. Other opponents had treated her even somewhat seriously, but Whitney treated their battle as nothing more than a game. It reminded her of her envy for Red and Blue, two fourteen year old trainers who had both managed to become champion before she had even become a gym leader. She envied Red and Blue but she could at least respect their mature attitudes. Although she appreciated Whitney’s advice, the latter’s lackadaisical attitude infuriated her to no end.

Whitney saw the look of pure rage consuming Janine’s face, giving the pink-haired trainer a sense of dread. “Hey, you okay?” she asked, approaching the ninja.

“No,” Janine grumbled, rubbing her damp eyes as she returned Crobat to her Poké Ball. “My father was right. My bond with Crobat is _terrible._ ”

“You seem _really_ tense,” Whitney observed worriedly, making Janine even angrier. “I know your dad means a lot to you, but it might do you some good to not think about him for a bit.”

“That’s going to be hard,” Janine grumbled, seeing pictures of her father flash across her mind.

“Well, you can _not_ think about it tonight when you’re on your date,” Whitney said, booping Janine on the nose, making Janine growl and Miltank giggle. “Don’t forget about our bet.”

“Fine,” Janine groaned, picking herself up. “But I’m only asking him because I lost.”

Whitney grinned as she placed her hands on her hips. “ _Sure_ you are,” she replied. She took notice of the fact that Janine wore her hair upward through a ribbon. “If you want to get your dad off your mind, maybe try changing your look a bit. Your entire outfit just screams Koga.”

“Well, what do I change first?” Janine questioned.

“I’ve got an idea,” Whitney offered, plucking the ribbon from Janine’s head, revealing a messy as well as poofy hairstyle.

“Hey!” Janine snapped, reaching out to snatch the ribbon. “Who said you could do that?”

“Relax,” Whitney suggested in a frightful tone, handing the ribbon back to her. “I’m just trying to help you out.”

“I can’t ask Falkner out like this,” Janine barked. “I look silly!”

“That ribbon was cutting off the oxygen to your brain,” Whitney joked, suppressing a giggle.

“Shut up,” Janine muttered before she looked down at her ribbon. She held it tightly in her hands, pondering what to do next with the material. She took the ribbon and snapped it in half before she tossed the pieces into the trash can on her left. “Maybe you’re right...” she murmured to Whitney while heading back into the store.

“Good luck!” Whitney said with a wave.

Janine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _Just don’t screw this up you like you do everything else,_ she told herself while walking up the escalator. She returned back to Falkner, who had started whistling again. “Hey,” she greeted.

“Ah!” Falkner shouted, finding the ninja standing by his side again. “Don’t do that!” he demanded, grabbing onto his racing heart with his left hand. His eyes caught onto her new hairstyle. “You changed your hair...”

“Yeah,” Janine said sheepishly. “Do you like it?”

“Uh... yeah... it’s... nice,” Falkner said nervously. “Any reason why you changed it?”

“I’m... carving my own path!” Janine said extravagantly as she waved her hands excitedly, hoping that she sounded at least somewhat cool.

Falkner chuckled as he placed the palm of his left hand to his forehead. “It’s a good start,” he replied. “So do you want to talk about your dad?”

“Let’s do it over dinner,” Janine offered with a smirk. _Good,_ she told herself. _I’m not screwing up for once._

Falkner’s cheeks blushed as he realized what she meant. “You mean... like a date?”

“No, like a funeral,” Janine snarked. “Yes, a date. What do you say?”

“Uh...” Falkner murmured, unsure of how to answer. Sweat dripped down Janine’s cheeks as her heart bounced around her chest like an anxiety attack waiting to happen.

_Crap. Did I ask too soon?_ she wondered frightfully. _Maybe I should have waited a couple of days._

“Why the sudden interest in me?” Falkner asked, scratching his head. “I know we’re friends, but I didn’t think you were into me...”

“Is that a problem?” Janine asked worriedly. “We can just ignore this if you want.”

Falkner raised an eyebrow. “Why would you ask me out and then try to back out? I can pay for the meal if you don’t have any money,” he asked with a nervous smile.

Janine sighed. “It’s not that. I don’t really... date people. I’ve dated one or two, but it didn’t last long,” she stated, looking into Falkner’s eyes. “I’m too stubborn to see what I’m doing at times and I don’t want to screw up our friendship.” She let out a groan, waving him off while turning to walk away. “Forget it. I’m just wasting your time asking.”

Falkner crossed his arms, thinking carefully of what to say next. “How about one date and we see where we go from there?” he suggested.

Janine’s eyes widened in surprise as she spun around. “Really?” she asked, her jaw dropping.

“Yeah, why not give it a shot?” Falkner suggested. “I’m not doing anything else tonight. Where do you want to do it?”

“Goldenrod City,” Janine answered calmly.

“Isn’t that back in Johto?” Falkner asked. “You’ve never been there.”

“Somebody I met recently recommended it,” Janine explained, hoping Falkner would not push the matter any further.

Falkner gave a shrug. “If that suits you. So do you want to split the bill?”

Janine nodded with a smile. “That works.”

“Good,” Falkner replied, wrapping his fingers around her left hand. He pressed his lips against her knuckles, prompting a small giggle from Janine.

“What are you doing?” Janine asked between chuckles, running her free hand through her poofy hair. “That’s kind of dorky.”

“Too soon?” he asked, releasing his hand from hers attempting to hide his red face.

“Mmm…” Janine murmured out loud, thinking of an answer while also blushing. “Maybe, but I don’t mind,” she said with a smirk. “So when do you want to leave for dinner, bird brain?”

“Whenever you’re ready,” Falkner replied.

_Now’s my chance,_ Janine thought, wrapping her fingers against Falkner’s right hand. Her lips landed on his knuckles, making him chuckle while his face was simultaneously becoming red. “I've never kissed anyone before,” she admitted, hoping Falkner would be touched by the identical gesture. “Do you think that was a good start?”

“Most people start with the lips or the cheek,” Falkner pointed out. “I guess we’re both dorks then.”

“I guess we are,” Janine replied with a smirk. _At least I haven’t screwed things up this time._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is Chapter 2 of my Pokémon story. I apologize for the wait. Please let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> For reference, here are the characters' ages:
> 
> Whitney - 18 years old  
> Janine - 20 years old  
> Falkner - 22 years old  
> Erika - 22 years old  
> Karen - 35 years old  
> Koga - 37 years old
> 
> Ships: 
> 
> Janine x Falkner (fatherlyshipping)  
> Koga x Karen

Janine anxiously tapped her fingers against the table. Her heart beat faster and faster with each passing second, sweating dripping down her face. Falkner sat across from her in the booth they resided in, making her lungs tighten up while she was struggling to breathe.

Falkner grimaced, watching her anxious face with concern. “You okay?” he asked, seeing Janine’s fingers shaking as they danced across the wooden table.

“No...” Janine whimpered, startling Falkner. “I don’t know what I’m doing with my life.”

“Is this... about your dad?” Falkner asked, reaching out to take her hand. Making contact with his warm hand allowed her heart to slow a bit, letting her take a deep breath. “You can tell me.”

“Yes,” she admitted, looking down at the table. “He told me I needed to do things my way.”

The words still echoed in her brain, unable to leave for even a second. _Do you want to live in my shadow forever?_ She took a deep breath, attempting to find the right words. “Have you... ever wanted to make someone proud?”

“My dad,” Falkner replied with a shrug.

“Did you?” Janine asked hesitantly.

“Yes,” Falkner answered with a quick nod. “I felt... pretty good about it.” Memories of that still surrounded his mind, when his father patted him on the back as he became a gym leader.

Janine looked down, avoiding Falkner’s gaze. “I wish I could feel that way...” she whispered, pulling her hand away from Falkner. “He says he’s proud of me, yet I don’t feel like he is.” She angrily scratched her hair, gritting her teeth. “What do I do?”

“Don’t think about him that much,” Falkner offered.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Janine murmured.

“Well, things are often easier said than done, I guess,” Falkner said with a nervous chuckle, making Janine herself giggle. A waiter walked by, dropping off a basket before walking away. “Wait!” Falkner called out. “You forgot our plates!” The employee did not seem to hear the gym leader as he continued moving towards the kitchen. Falkner sighed as he looked back at the basket, which Janine was eyeing curiously.

“What are those?” Janine asked, licking her lips excitedly.

“They’re... bread sticks,” Falkner answered, puzzled by Janine’s sudden interest in the basket. “Have you never had them before?”

“I didn’t even know they existed,” Janine admitted, plucking a bread stick out of the basket, leaving five remaining. “A bit greasy...” she murmured, feeling the oily surface rub against her fingers. She nibbled on the food, sending an absolutely delightful sensation through her system. Her nibbles became chomps before she soon found half of the basket’s contents had gone missing.

Falkner’s eyes widened in surprise, slightly disturbed by how quickly she grazed through the food. “You really like those, huh?” he observed with an awkward smile.

“Are these only in Johto?” Janine quickly asked, reaching for another breadstick.

“I’ve never seen them in Kanto,” Falkner admitted, watching Janine feast upon the remaining bread sticks. “You going to save some for me?”

Janine’s eyes caught on a familiar figure, making her heart sink. What is she doing here? she thought in terror.

“Are you okay?” Falkner asked. “Do you need a drink of water?”

“No, I’m fine,” Janine assured him. “I just need a few minutes.” She stood up from her chair and walked over to the young woman sitting in another booth. This woman wore a large pink jacket over her normal clothing while a pair of sunglasses adorned her eyes. On the other side of her booth sat a Miltank that also wore a pair of sunglasses. “What are you doing here?” Janine demanded, angrily placing her hands to her hips.

“Hey!” Whitney greeted casually, giving a friendly wave. “What’s up?”

“Don’t ignore the question,” Janine stated. “Why are you here?”

“Just wanted to go undercover and make sure you don’t screw things up,” Whitney said with a thumbs up as Miltank mooed in agreement.

“You’re spying on me?” Janine asked, raising a horrified eyebrow. “What is wrong with you?”

“Guess the ninja isn’t used to getting ninjad,” Whitney said with a sly grin.

“Can you please just leave?” Janine pleaded. “Things are actually going well.”

“Really?” Whitney asked excitedly, clasping her hands together. “That’s so good to hear!”

“Yeah, great. Just go,” Janine demanded, pointing to the exit on her left.

“Well, I already ordered some food...” Whitney said with a nervous laugh.

Janine groaned as she spun around. “Fine,” she grumbled, stomping back to Falkner.

“You got this!” Whitney exclaimed, making Janine’s face turn crimson as she sat down.

“Is that Whitney?” Falkner asked, craning his neck to see a gleefully waving spy.

“Hey Falkner! Keep up the good work! I’m proud of you, buddy!” Whitney said giddily, giving him two thumbs up.

“Okay...” Falkner murmured, his face becoming more red than a Scizor. He returned his gaze to a blushing Janine. “Do you know why she is here?” He was more than familiar with the gym leader, as the young woman would constantly visit him to see how he was doing. He found her cheerful demeanor overbearing but that she was also a good listener. Sometimes when she visited him, he would tell her about his interactions with Janine.

_“Sounds like you got a thing for her,”_ he remembered Whitney replying.

_“No, it’s not like that...”_ he would respond.

_“Sure it isn’t,”_ Whitney would tell him with a smirk.

In present time, Janine tapped her fingers nervously. “Promise you won’t get at me?” she asked.

“Why? What did you do?” Falkner asked.

“I... made a bet,” Janine stated, struggling not to become reticent. “Whitney kept asking me questions about our... relationship. She wouldn’t shut up about it, and she challenged me to a battle.” She let out a sigh as her memories of the crater that her Crobat lay in flashed into her brain. “If I won, she would leave me alone. If I lost, I had to ask you out.”

Falkner continued to stare into her eyes, dumbfounded by her statements. “This date is all because of her?” he asked, not sure how to process this.

“Yeah...” Janine said weakly.

“Even without the bet, would you have _ever_ asked me out?” Falkner asked.

Janine bit her tongue, seeing disappointment fill Falkner’s eyes. “I... don’t know.”

Falkner looked down, letting out a sigh while standing up from his chair. “This might have been a bad idea...”

“No, wait!” Janine insisted, keeping him from leaving. “Let’s just finish this date, alright? I don’t want it to end like this...”

“Okay,” Falkner murmured, returning to his seat. He tapped his fingers against the table, wondering what ice breakers he could produce. “So, has your hair always been this poofy?”

Janine shrugged. “I usually keep it back with a ribbon,” she admitted. “I did it to look more like my father.”

“And why did you change it?” Falkner asked. He certainly did not mind the change, in fact he rather enjoyed her new hair style. There was something cute about the mess that was her poofy hair.

“Whitney pulled the ribbon off, but I decided I needed to change up my look either way,” Janine explained.

“Looks like Whitney makes a lot of decisions for you,” Falkner snarked.

“That’s going to change,” Janine assured him confidently. “Everything from now on will be my choice.” She quickly pulled open her menu. “Hey... do you know any healthy options here?” she asked with an awkward chuckle.

“What happened to deciding for yourself?” Falkner asked with a smirk.

“Fine,” Janine huffed, reading the menu up and down. “A bowl of rice with some salad doesn’t sound _too_ bad...”

Janine struggled to walk out of the restaurant. “What were those breadsticks made of?” she wondered, holding onto her stomach. Falkner chuckled to herself, making her crane her neck back. “What?”

“You’ve got something on your scarf,” he said, pointing to a red spot staining the part of the scarf covering her neck.

“Salad dressing,” Janine murmured, rubbing the stain with her left hand. “That date went pretty well, huh?” she asked with a hopeful smile. _Granted, I’m down to half of my monthly allowance…_

“Yeah,” Falkner agreed, wrapping his hands around hers. “Maybe we can do it again sometime.”

“How about tomorrow?” Janine asked quickly, surprising Falkner. “You know, like a make up for the first one being a bet.”

“Okay,” Falkner stated, almost unnerved by her readiness for a new date. “Where?”

“I... don’t know,” Janine murmured. “I’ll pick a spot and call you, don’t worry!” She quickly wrapped her arms around Falkner, gently laying her head against his chest. “And thanks,” she whispered.

“Anytime,” Falkner said with a grin, patting her poofy hair.

“Tomorrow, how about we dress more casually?” Janine suggested. _I need to wear something that’s less... Father-ish._

“Oh, um, sure,” Falkner stated with a nod.

Janine hugged Falkner even tighter. _At least tonight didn’t go_ _too_ badly.

Janine read through the list of restaurants on her phone. She currently stood within the Celadon Department Store, hiding between the two shelves that she and Falkner normally resided. She supposed it was a force of habit to meet here, even when bird brain was not present. She had changed her outfit to a purple tank top, denim shorts, and red sneakers. She maintained her pink scarf, but loosened the fabric around her neck. “Let’s see here,” she murmured as she scrolled down the list. “This restaurant is nice, but it's kind of pricey...”

“Oh, hi Janine!” a cheerful voice greeted her, making her drop her phone.

“Eeep!” Janine shrieked, quickly scooping up her phone. “Karen?” she asked nervously, shaking as she saw a familiar face greet her.

Karen chuckled as she placed her hands on her hips. “Look at that. I scared the ninja. Now if only I could do that to Koga,” she said, giggling.

“Hi…” Janine stammered.

“I like what you did with your hair,” Karen stated.

“Uh... thanks... I've been trying something different.”

“What do you got there?” Karen asked, taking a peek at her phone screen while making the ninja more and more uncomfortable. “Ooh! A list of restaurants? I didn't know Koga's birthday was coming up. I thought it was next month.” Sweat dripped down Janine’s face, catching Karen’s attention. “Or is this for a date?”

“Yeah...” Janine murmured, her facial color becoming that of a Shuckle’s shell.

Karen giggled as she clasped her hands together. “Ah! Young love! I remember when I was young and in love. I'm not either now, but I like to think I’ve aged well,” she stated, running her right hand through her hair.

Janine nodded nervously. “Yep...”

“So who’s the lucky fellow?” Karen asked with a grin, playfully poking Janine in the elbow. “Is it somebody I might know?”

“It’s Falkner,” Janine whispered.

Karen rubbed her chin, trying to recall that name. “That’s the guy from Johto, right? The flying type trainer?” Janine nodded, making Karen smile. “Poison and flying. That’s quite the combo.” She pulled her head closer, startling Janine. “You know, I happen to know a great restaurant back at the Indigo Plateau. It’s nice and cheap.”

Janine shook her head anxiously. “I’m not so sure that's a good idea.”

“Why’s that?”

“I don't want my father to know I’m dating Falkner,” Janine answered, rubbing her hands together nervously. “I don’t think he’s ready to meet him yet. He might freak out.”

“Why? Is Falkner a bad guy?” Karen asked coyly.

“No, he's actually kind of dorky,” Janine explained, scratching her head. “Well, I'm a dork too, I guess.”

“So how did you two _dorks…_ ” Karen gestured her fingers in the air with a snicker when saying the last word. “...start dating?”

“Our first date happened because I lost a bet...”

“Do tell,” Karen said with an eager grin, resting her chin on her knuckles.

“You know who Whitney is?”

Karen nodded. “I’ve met her a few times. I love her energy. Reminds me of, well, me back when I was her age.”

Janine’s eyes widened in terror. _Arceus no…_ she wanted to say.

“So how is she involved?”

“She thought I was dating Falkner,” Janine began. “I wasn’t and I told her that. She convinced me to battle her and if I lost, I had to go out with Falkner.”

“Do you actually feel anything for Falkner?” Karen asked, making Janine pause for a moment.

“I like him at least as a friend,” Janine began. “I feel better when I’m around him.”

Karen gave her a wink. “Many great loves start with a friendship, you know.”

Janine nodded reluctantly “I just don't want to scare him off... I get freaked out so easily.”

“Perhaps you could visit Erika,” Karen suggested, referring to the grass type gym leader of Kanto. “She's great at easing stress, plus her gym smells absolutely wonderful.”

“Well, yeah. It's full of flowers,” Janine pointed out. She had interacted with Erika a few times, but she sometimes felt uncomfortable by Erika’s peaceful demeanor. Erika’s sleepy, albeit cheerful attitude was something that Janine envied about the other gym leader. Nothing ever seemed to bother Erika, making Janine wonder what her secret was.

Karen interrupted her thinking process with her next question. “How does Falkner feel about you?”

“He was surprised when I asked him, but he did say yes,” Janine admitted.

Karen grinned. “That’s better than a no.”

“I told him about the bet.”

“How did that go?” Karen asked curiously.

“He was... confused,” Janine said hesitantly. “He asked me if I would have asked him out if there was no bet.”

“And then what?”

“I couldn't answer him,” Janine stated as she looked down, clenching her fists tightly. “I feel like I would have at some point, but another part of me wonders if that's a lie. I like him a lot, but I don't know if I could've asked him out of my own.”

“Then why do you have that restaurant list?”

Janine placed the phone into her pocket as she sighed. “I asked him out as a do-over.”

“There you go!” Karen exclaimed, snapping her fingers.

“What do you mean?” Janine asked.

Karen patted Janine on the shoulder. “It's clear to me that you're stronger than you think. You wouldn't have asked him out otherwise.”

“Maybe...” Janine said hesitantly.

Karen shook her head. “Don't doubt yourself. It's going to make you look all old and wrinkly... like Koga!”

“Hey!” Janine snapped.

Karen merely laughed. “I’m kidding. He’s only got a few wrinkles.” She placed both hands on Janine’s shoulders, instilling a sense of comfort in the ninja. “You got this, Janine. Just trust yourself.”

Janine nodded eagerly. “I will!” She waved Karen off and left the store. As she was jogging out, she bumped into an old face and knocked her down.

“Ow,” Whitney murmured, rubbing her head as she stood back up. “Oh, hey!” she greeted cheerfully.

“What do you want?” Janine asked, recollecting her thoughts after bonking her head with Whitney’s.

“Just wanted to check up on you!” Whitney answered. “Also, the baseball equipment here is to die for!”

“What’s baseball?” Janine asked, scratching her head and making Whitney gasp.

“You don’t get out much, do you?” Whitney observed with a tinge of disappointment in her voice. “So how did the date go?” she asked, her mood quickly changing.

“Alright,” Janine said with a smile. “I’m going out with him again tonight.”

“Sweet!” Whitney exclaimed. “Hope that goes well! Don’t worry, I’ll be giving you emotional support the whole time!”

“Thanks...” Janine murmured, before taking a look at her phone to text Falkner.

“Hey,” Whitney began. “Don't you bring your dad lunch every day or something?”

Janine nodded. “Yep, but not anymore. I’m carving my own path.”

Whitney crossed her arms anxiously. “I hope he doesn't starve.”

Janine shrugged. “He’ll be fine. He’s managed to live this long.” Once she finished texting Falkner directions, she decided her next stop. _Erika, I hope you’re not napping again._

Koga stood in line in front of a cart that served hot dogs outside the Indigo Plateau. He let out a sigh as his stomach growled. Janine had not visited today nor had she texted her, making him wonder where she was. _I hope I didn’t push her away,_ he thought worriedly, crossing his arms. His stomach continued to growl, making him tap his feet angrily against the ground. _I wish I could cook._

A familiar, albeit unpleasant voice greeted him from behind. “ _Heeeey_ Koga,” the seductive voice greeted him.

Koga groaned as he turned around. “Of course...”

“If you want, I know a nice restaurant nearby,” her luscious voice offered, but he did not budge.

“What’s the catch?” Koga demanded.

“What, I can’t offer to buy you dinner?” Karen purred, inching closer to Koga.

“What I know is why?” Koga replied. “You try to turn my daughter into a delinquent and now you’re asking me out.”

“A delinquent? Never!” Karen jested melodramatically, waving her hand in the air. “I was just teaching her good business tips.”

“At this rate, she’s going to start charging me for bringing me lunch,” Koga grumbled.

“Come on,” Karen whispered. “You could use a good meal. I’m willing to pay for it.”

“Fine,” Koga grumbled. “But this is _not_ a date.”

“We can make it one,” Karen said with an alluring smile.

“No,” Koga replied sternly.

“Stubborn, aren’t you?” Karen said with a chuckle. “When was the last time you even _went_ on a date?”

“At least twenty years ago,” Koga replied, remembering the night fondly before the memory began turning sour. “She left me for almost a year and dropped Janine off at the front door.”

“Oh,” Karen murmured, freezing in her tracks. Koga had never talked about Janine’s mother, leaving Karen guessing as to her fate. She had never expected to get the answer. “I just thought she had died...”

“That would’ve been preferable to what she did,” Koga muttered to himself, clenching his fists.

“At least you got a great kid out of the deal,” Karen pointed out, hoping to change the subject.

“I hope so,” Koga murmured, placing his left hand to his forehead. “I think I might have scared her off the other day.”

“How so?” Karen asked.

“I told her to train in her own way,” Koga explained. “She was trying to be me to the point it was hurting her health.”

“Kids do often imitate those they care about,” Karen replied. “You’ve been a big influence on her.”

“Perhaps I influenced her too much,” Koga surmised.

“Even so, it’s not too late to fix things,” Karen assured him. “Hey, if it helps, dinner tonight might take your mind off things.”

Koga nodded. “Well, I do always enjoy a free meal,” he said with a small grin, making Karen laugh.

A slender young woman with pale skin and short black hair with cut bangs rested in a lush patch of grass, surrounded by several bushes. In terms of clothing, she dressed more modestly than most female gym leaders, with most of her body being hidden beneath her clothes. The outfit she wore consisted of an elegant yellow kimono with a red obi, a matching hairband, zōri sandals, and tabi socks. Spots of orange leaves adorned the bottom of her kimono as well as her sleeves. White flowers were printed onto her obi and hairband, completing her floral look. She was currently resting her head against a white, petal-shaped pillow. She let out a massive snore that would have annoyed the trainers that normally occupied her gym if it was not a weekend. Today, it only annoyed one person: Janine.

The ninja crossed her arms as she watched the sleeping beauty rustle in her dreams. “Erika,” she stated, but only received more snoring in response. “Wake up.” The twenty-two year old gym leader continued to rest, peacefully chasing after cute grass type Pokémon in her dreams. “Wake up,” Janine repeated, plucking a leaf off a nearby bush and letting it drop onto Erika’s nose. In Erika’s dream, an umbrella-shaped leaf now hovered and spun above her head, making her giggle. Janine groaned as she grabbed Erika’s shoulders and shook her repeatedly.

Within the fantasy realm, cracks formed below Erika’s feet as the ground shook like an earthquake. Her Jumpluff and Bellossom fell through the holes, making her shout in concern. “No!” she screamed, running after her partners. A demonic voice endlessly shouted her name as a shadow-like claw wrapped itself around her body and drug her closer to the cracks. “No! Let me go!” she pleaded, burying her fingernails into the grass as an ineffective attempt to save herself. She shrieked as her vision became enveloped by darkness. She blinked constantly, hoping she could return to her pleasant times with her Pokémon. Instead, she was startled by an impatient face. “Janine?” Erika asked curiously, holding onto her racing heart. “What are you doing here?”

“I need your help,” Janine stated sternly.

“You didn’t have to ruin my dream,” Erika murmured, pulling a certain something off her nose. “And where did this leaf come from?” she asked, letting the item drop to the ground.

“That’s not important,” Janine replied.

“What happened to your hair?” Erika asked, pulling herself up. “And your outfit?”

“I changed it,” Janine replied.

“I think it looks nice,” Erika murmured with a yawn, making Janine question the sincerity of her claim.

“Thanks,” Janine murmured before she focused on the matter at hand. “I heard you’re good at helping people relax.”

Erika nodded slowly. “Yep. Aromatherapy,” she answered.

“Can you give me some?” Janine asked eagerly.

“That's a long and deep process,” Erika began. “First, you must clear all your senses.”

Janine groaned. “How long is this going to take? I have a date in less than half an hour.”

“Ooh,” Erika murmured joyfully. “Who’s it with?”

“Falkner,” Janine answered confidently.

“That sounds nice,” Erika replied.

Janine nodded. “He is.”

“How’s your father doing?” Erika asked.

Janine bit her tongue, pausing for a moment. “Uh... good.”

Erika gave a dopey smile, remembering the occasional times that she would talk to Koga. She found him to be a stern man, but also extremely respectful to her and her garden. “I’m glad. He was always nice to me.”

Janine looked away for a moment, noticing a red and white bong resting near one of the bushes next to Erika. She picked the object up and studied its green contents. “Uh, what is this?” she asked, before seeing it quickly snatched out of her hands.

Erika’s heart was racing as she hid the bong behind her back. “A-Aromatherapy,” she stammered as sweat dripped down her cheeks. “You know, medicine.”

Janine raised a curious eyebrow. “May I try it?”

Erika shook her head anxiously. “Uh, no. It’s only for... _experienced_ users of aromatherapy.”

“How long will it take to become _experienced_?” Janine questioned, gesturing her fingers in the air.

“Forever,” Erika answered without thinking, confusing Janine even further. “I mean... it’ll happen someday.

Janine took out her phone and sighed. “I don’t have time for this,” she said, waving Erika off while walking away. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

Erika nodded as her heart beat began to slow. “Good luck with your date.”

Janine craned her neck back and grinned. “Thanks.”

“A wait list? It’s a buffet!” Janine whined, sitting down in the booths that waited for future customers.

“It’s only five minutes,” Falkner assured her as he sat down on her right. He wore a blue t-shirt, jeans, and grey sneakers. “ Have you been here before?”

“No,” Janine stated, crossing her arms in a huff. “A friend recommended it to me.”

“ _Heeey_ guys!” a pleasant voice greeted them as a familiar figure appeared across from them. Janine and Falkner yelped simultaneously as they became startled by the pink-haired woman near them. “You know, you get startled a lot for a ninja,” Whitney said with a giggle as she pointed to Janine. 

“How did you get here?” Janine questioned, disturbed by Whitney’s ability to track them.

“I’m good at finding people,” Whitney said with a shrug. Her gaze turned to a blue-haired young man standing next to Janine. “Hey Falkner! What's up?”

“Do you have to follow us everywhere?” Falkner asked, feeling uncomfortable from Whitney’s presence.

“I just like checking up on my friends,” Whitney stated, pointing to the two of them.

“How many friends do you have?” Janine asked worriedly.

“At the moment, just two,” she explained, holding up the same amount of fingers on her left hand. “I know a lot of people, but most of them aren't as fun as you two.”

Janine let out a sigh. “Okay, but you're not sitting at our table. And after tonight, stop showing up to our dates.”

“Fine...” Whitney groaned as she walked away.

“I’m starting to regret talking to her,” Janine murmured, making Falkner laugh.

“I know the feeling,” he agreed. “Although, I don’t talk to that many people as it is, so my options are kind of limited...”

A smile curled onto Janine’s lips. “And yet you talk to me,” she replied, making him blush. “Can't say that many guys travel to another region just to talk to _me._ ”

Falkner’s crimson face prevented him from speaking, making Janine giggle.

As they continued to talk, a new pair walked through the door. Karen held her arms up into the air melodramatically. “Here we are. The most _stylish_ restaurant in Kanto.”

Koga sighed as he realized what type of restaurant he had walked into. “Are you serious? A buffet? Do you know how unhealthy these things are?”

Karen chuckled as she patted him on the back. “Relax. You need to take things easy.”

“I’m only a few years away from being 40 and I have a daughter who still needs me,” Koga replied solemnly. “I can’t be losing my health now.”

“I think she's going to be alright,” Karen assured him.

Koga raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Karen grinned as she craned her neck. “Speak of the devil. Would you look at that?” she stated, pointing in the young couple’s direction.

Koga’s eyes widened in surprise as Karen snuck out of sight. “Janine?”

“Eek!” the female ninja shrieked, nearly jumping out of her seat.

“Is that your dad?” Falkner asked, looking in the older man’s direction.

“Yes…” Janine murmured, trying to stop her pounding heart from exploding as her father walked up to her.

“Janine... who is this?” Koga asked, pointing to Falkner. He was too surprised by Falkner's presence to notice Janine's change in appearance.

Falkner raised an eyebrow. “You’ve never mentioned me to him before?” he asked, turning to Janine.

“No...” Janine squeaked, falling back into the cushion of the seat.

Koga inched closer to Falkner. “Are you dating my daughter, mister...?”

“It’s Falkner, sir.”

“Doesn't ring a bell,” Koga replied.

“Seriously?” Falkner asked, shocked that Koga had never even heard of him.

“Hey, Mr. Koga!” Whitney greeted from behind Koga, popping out of nowhere. “What's up?”

Koga groaned without turning his head back. “ Hi... Whitney...”

“Come on,” Falkner whined. _How does he know who she is?_ He paused to take into account how many people knew Whitney from her insistence on interacting with as many people as she could. _Never mind, that's a stupid question._

“Are you dating my daughter?” Koga asked.

Falkner’s cheeks became even redder than the flame that lit a Charizard’s tail. “Yes,” he answered, awkwardly placing his arm around Janine’s shoulders.

Koga’s eyes now focused onto Janine, who was praying that her heart beat would slow down. Her fingernails clawed through the seat like a stress ball, but that did nothing to calm her down. “Is he telling the truth?” Koga asked, pointing to Falkner.

“Uh...” Janine began, wiping sweat away from her face. At this point, she had no choice but to tell the truth. No matter how much she wanted to do this under better circumstances, she could not avoid this matter forever. Taking a deep breath, she knew what was her next move. She stood up and began sprinting out of the restaurant.

“Janine, wait!” she could Falkner and her father shout after her, but she could not let that stop her.

_I’m so sorry,_ she wanted to say to them both as tears dripped down her cheeks, but she simply kept running.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is Chapter 3 of my Pokémon story. I hope the wait was worth it. I hope to get your thoughts on the story.
> 
> For reference, here are the characters' ages:
> 
> Whitney - 18 years old  
> Janine - 20 years old  
> Jasmine - 21 years old  
> Falkner - 22 years old  
> Will - 26 years old  
> Clair - 27 years old  
> Karen - 35 years old  
> Koga - 37 years old
> 
> Ships:
> 
> Janine x Falkner (fatherlyshipping)  
> Koga x Karen

Will dusted up on his book shelf inside his room. The twenty-six year old psychic had recently purchased a shelf for his collection of board games he had gathered over the years. He stood upon a purple tiled floor. Floating, transparent cubes bobbed around the room as he hummed a tune to himself. The cubes moved to the beat of his song. Will’s overall appearance was that of a mystery man and a gentleman.

He had lilac hair that fell over his left eye, while a bang framed his right eye. He wore a tight domino mask that covered his eyes and the space between them. He wore a black sleeveless tailcoat-like vest, with a pink tuxedo top underneath it, while the vest sported two rows of double brass buttons, with a gold line between them. He wore pink pants, with black derby shoes, while a frilled white cravat was present on his neck. He stopped humming as he heard someone barge through his front door. He saw an anxious Koga and worried Karen standing in front of him while a panting Whitney and Falkner trailed behind the two. “Ah, Koga,” Will greeted cheerfully. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Cut the theatrics, Will,” Koga snapped. “Janine’s gone missing. I need you to do that psychic magic stuff to find her.”

Will’s eyes widened in surprise. “Janine? What happened to her?”

“She ran away,” Karen stated.

Will turned to Koga. “Why is that? Did you drive her off?”

Koga tightened his clenched fist. “I hope not,” he stated. “Can you find her?”

“I can give it a shot,” Will offered as he placed his hands together in meditation. “And it’s not magic,” he added before he shut his eyes.

“I don’t care,” Koga barked. “Just find my daughter. How long will this take?”

“It would help if you stopped yelling,” Will pointed out. “And it depends on her location. If she’s still close in Kanto, it should be easy to track her. If not, it might be a tad more difficult.”

As Will concentrated, Falkner and Whitney had regained their breath. “You going to be okay?” Whitney asked Falkner.

“When I know Janine is,” Falkner replied sternly.

Whitney held up a familiar object. “I found her phone,” she explained. “I’m guessing she dropped it. Maybe we can find something in it that will tell us where she is.”

“Wouldn’t you have to enter a code or something?” Falkner asked.

Whitney nodded as her fingers ran against the phone. “You’re right and it’s five numbers. That’s weird. Most phones have four. Might be a new brand or something.”

“Will you just figure it out?” Falkner demanded anxiously.

Whitney nodded. “Sorry,” she quickly apologized. “Let’s see... two, nine, eighteen, and four.”

Falkner raised an eyebrow. “You got in? How?”

Whitney grinned. “Simple. You know how she calls you bird brain?”

Falkner’s cheeks flushed red. “Yeah,” he murmured.

Whitney nodded in agreement. “Well, I figured I’d convert the letters of bird to numbers and it worked!”

Falkner’s face became consumed by crimson. “Whitney...” he stammered, trying not to embarrass himself. “That’s... genius.”

Whitney giggled. “Thanks! I wonder what photos she’s got in here.”

“We shouldn’t be looking through her belongings,” Falkner advised.

Whitney shrugged. “Well, we need hints as to where she went, right?”

“True...” Falkner conceded.

Whitney searched for Janine’s photos, but came to a dead end. “She’s only got one photo.” She turned the phone around, revealing a picture of Janine and her father grinning in front of a wooden table. On the table sat a purple cake with twenty candles. “It looks like this came from her latest birthday. She seems pretty happy.”

Falkner became lost in the reflection of the smiling woman. “She’s beautiful,” he whispered.

“Eh, I’d give her a six.”

“Hey!” Falkner snapped.

“Sorry,” Whitney said with another shrug. “She’s my best friend, but I’m not a liar.”

Will’s eyes popped open for a brief moment. “She has friends?” he asked. “She struck me as a loner, quite honestly.”

“Will you focus on finding her?!” Koga snapped at the Elite Four member, making Will return to his concentration.

“You’re not the one dating her,” Falkner stated angrily, getting into Whitney’s face.

“True,” Whitney admitted before a new thought popped into her head. “Hey, why did you go out with her in the first place?”

Falkner stopped cold in his tracks. “She’s cute... I guess,” he stated, his face matching the color of a Scizor.

Whitney chuckled. “Ah, lovebird.”

“Don’t call me that,” Falkner pouted. “And you set us up.”

“Kind of, but hey, you got a girlfriend now,” Whitney pointed out.

“Who’s missing.”

“She’ll come back. Don’t worry.” She began searching through Janine’s contacts. “Seems she only talks to you and her dad. And that guy kid named Ethan. He’s the one who beat Lance and Red, right?”

Falkner slowly nodded, recognizing the new champion’s name. The sixteen year old Ethan was a boy from Johto who had followed in the steps of Red to take on the eight gym leaders of his region, before facing the Elite Four and Lance, who had taken over in Red’s place while the latter went off to train. After defeating Lance, he moved onto Kanto to take on their gym leaders and eventually Red. Ethan had a habit of collecting people’s phone numbers and calling them on occasion for rematches. Falkner had talked to Ethan once in a while, but not on a regular basis.

“Yeah, but everyone talks to Ethan,” Falkner pointed out.

Whitney placed her index finger to her lips as she considered Falkner’s words. “True.”

“Anything yet?” Koga asked the psychic, his heart picking up speed with each passing minute.

“She seems to be in Johto, but it’s hard to tell,” Will replied. “She seems to be... underground. It’s dark and rather damp where she is.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Karen asked.

A sudden shock rattled Koga’s heart as his body lost all connection with his nervous system. The thought of his daughter trapping herself in a watery grave overwhelmed his mind. Koga panted, holding onto his chest as he collapsed.

“Koga!” Karen shouted as Will ran over to the ninja’s body. Whitney and Falkner looked in shock as Koga’s body became limp. Karen rolled him over and placed her ear against his heart. “He’s stopped breathing,” she stated nervously. “We need to get him to a hospital, now!” She turned to Whitney and Falkner. “You two, find Janine.”

“Where are we supposed to look?” Falkner asked.

“Someplace that’s underground with a lot of water in Johto,” Karen replied as she and Will picked up Koga’s body.

“She might be at the Dragon’s Den in Blackthorn City,” Whitney suggested.

“Why there?” Falkner asked.

Karen and Will dragged Koga out of the room. “Figure out that later!” Karen shouted as she left. “Just find Janine!” The door slammed behind the two as hundreds of thoughts rushed into Karen’s brain. _Janine, please be okay. I don’t want to lose both of you._

A twenty-seven year old woman by the name of Clair entered the damp, moist cave known as the Dragon’s Den. She had pale skin, blue eyes and light blue hair, tied in a ponytail with a beige hair band. Two large spiked fringes framed her face and pointed outward, and a third fringe rests in the center of her face between her eyes. She wore a black and maroon cape with beige shoulder pads, a two-tone blue and light blue skin-tight bodysuit, blue gloves with black bracelets on her wrists, and blue knee-length high heeled boots with black anklets. Finally, she wore a blue gem on her neck that resembled a Dragonair's pearl, and beige earrings shaped like a dragon's tooth.

The cave itself she resided in possessed a rocky exterior that surrounded the enormous pool of water in front of her. Large rocks peaked above the water’s surface as a whirlpool tore up the area around it. A black-tiled platform kept a small shrine above the water in the center of the cave. Today was her daily training with the master. As she took a step forward, she could hear sobbing on her left. She craned her neck to see a young woman curled up in a ball, her eyes releasing rivers of tears. _Who is that?_ Clair wondered, walking over to see the sobbing woman smacking her fist into the back of her skull. “Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked, tapping the tip of her boot against the woman’s rear.

“Ow!” Janine snapped, jumping to her feet. “What was that for?!” she asked as she rubbed the stabbing pain in her derrière.

Clair noticed tears in Janine’s eyes. “Come on, I didn’t kick you _that_ hard.”

Janine groaned as she rubbed her damp eyes, but the tears continued dripping down her face. “Why are you here?” Janine whimpered as she took a step back, approaching the water.

“I’m here to do my daily training,” Clair explained. “Now, why are you here?”

Janine stepped back closer to the water. “I... don’t know,” she whispered.

“Hey kid, watch out for the water,” Clair advised Janine. “Unless you can swim,” the older gym leader said with a chuckle. As Clair looked into Janine’s eyes, she began to recognize the latter’s face. “You’re Koga’s daughter, right? Janine?”

“I think so,” Janine muttered.

“What do you mean, ‘you think so?’” Clair asked. “Either you are or you aren’t.”

“I don’t know who I am anymore,” Janine murmured. “All I know is that I like to train... and I’m not even good at that.”

Clair shrugged. “Maybe you haven’t had the right kind of training.” She pointed over the shrine a large distance away from her. “Try to make it over to the Dragon Shrine. That always helps me out.”

Janine raised an eyebrow. “How is that going to make me stronger?”

“What, would you rather mow my lawn?” Clair snarked.

“Do I get paid for it?” Janine snarked back. Having somebody else to talk to was starting to relax her.

“No!” Clair fumed. “Just... go to the Dragon Shrine.”

“How?”

Clair groaned. “Use a Pokémon that has the move Surf.”

“I don’t have one.”

“What do you mean?”

Janine sighed. “I use poison types, not water types. And none of them can learn Surf.”

Clair groaned again. “Then come back with a Pokémon that can.”

Janine looked to the lake and immediately dived into the water. She raced through the water, making her way to the Dragon Shrine.

Clair’s eyes widened. “Wait!” she snapped. “You can’t just do that!” She attempted to take a step forward, but her boot tripped on a rock and made her fall into the water. When she resurfaced, she pushed her wet hair out of her face as she frowned. She tossed out a Poké Ball releasing a water and dragon type Pokémon: Kingdra. She was a large, seahorse-like Pokémon with a tightly curled tail. She was covered in blue scales except for her yellow, compact belly scales. There were thin spines with a single branch atop its head and thin, white fins under her cheeks. Two-pronged fins extend slightly past her cheeks. On her back was a white fin supported by thin, blue spines similar to the ones on her head.

“Kingdra?” the Pokémon asked, tilting her confused head.

Clair sighed as she pulled herself onto Kingra’s back. “It’s not like I wanted to fall in the water,” she grumbled. She could hear Kingdra snicker, making her fume. “Not funny!” she barked, making the Pokémon chuckle even more. “Just help me follow her.” Kingdra nodded and followed her command, racing after Janine. The ninja had made her way onto the steps leading up to the shrine. Janine shook her damp hair, groaning as it immediately snapped back to its poofy state. “Of course,” she grumbled.

Clair leaped over Kingdra’s head and landed onto the boardwalk. “You have no patience, do you?” Clair seethed.

Janine shrugged. “I’m trying to get some, but it’s kind of hard.”

“Well, you’re on the wrong side of the shrine,” Clair replied. “The door’s on the other side. You need to make it past that whirlpool...” She pointed to her right, making Janine see a spinning vortex spinning around in the water. “...to get to the other side, which means you need a Pokémon that knows, you guessed it, Whirlpool.”

“Why didn’t you say that earlier?”

“You rushed off before I could say a word,” Clair replied angrily.

Janine’s eyes locked onto the red columns that gated the Dragon Shrine. “I’m pretty sure I can just run along those columns and get to the door faster.”

Clair facepalmed herself. “Do you always need to take a shortcut?!” she yelled in Janine’s face. The ninja clenched her fists as she stomped away. She looked over to the vortex and climbed on top of the red columns.

_I wonder how deep it goes,_ Janine thought as her foot inched itself closer to the edge.

“What are you doing?” Clair asked, walking over to Janine. The ninja shut her eyes as her foot began to slip off the column. Clair grabbed by Janine by the wrist, yanking her off the column. “Are you trying to die or something?!” Clair snapped as Janine looked to her feet.

_Why am I like this?_ Janine asked herself as tears streamed down her cheeks. _Why do I always try to take the easy way out?_

Clair placed her hands on Janine’s shoulders. “Janine, what’s going on?” she asked.

“I think I need to sit down,” Janine murmured, beginning to feel light headed.

Clair sighed. “Let’s go to my house. I... might be able to help you.”

Janine slowly followed Clair into the latter’s bedroom. She had accompanied the Dragon user out of the Dragon’s Den. Clair had returned to her house in Blackthorn City. Once inside, Clair opened the door to her small bedroom, where Janine sat down upon the covers.

“Thanks for getting my bed wet,” Clair murmured as she grimaced. Janine rubbed her fingers against the smoothe royal blue fabric. She noticed that there were four pillows present, two pillows per stack and all with the same color scheme. “No, I’m not dating anyone. I just like the extra pillows,” Clair stated as Janine began to open her mouth.

The ninja looked around, seeing various modelling photos stapled across the walls in Clair’s room, some of which focused on Clair’s derrière. “You seem popular...”

Clair looked to the photographs gracing her bedroom walls. “Those? They’re just from a deal I got with some fashion designers and radio hosts. All I have to do is do a photo-op once in a while with the photos and an interview and the cash rolls in.”

“Must be nice to be loved,” Janine murmured as she stared at the ground.

Clair sat down next to Janine. “When they won’t stop asking you for autographs and favors, not really,” she replied. “So, what’s been going on with you? You wouldn’t show up to the Dragon’s Den just to train.”

“I feel so... lost,” Janine whispered. “Everything I’ve ever been for my entire life has been destroyed in only a few days.”

“Did something happen between you and your dad?” Clair asked. She had met Janine once back when her father had become a member of the Elite Four. As the younger cousin of the new champion Lance, she had been arranged a seat in the front of the coronation. She had noticed Janine on the other side of the row, who had been boasting that her father was the strongest trainer around and would become the new champion someday. Clair noticed that the girl had quite the ego thanks to her worship of her father. Granted, Clair had an ego as well, but she had gotten that from her own strength rather than a relative’s.

“He told me I need to train in my own way,” Janine stated. “I need to get out of his shadow.”

“That must have been hard to hear,” Clair replied. “You really love him don’t you?”

Janine slowly nodded. “He’s my hero. He’s been taking care of me since I was a baby.”

“I’m guessing you don’t view your mother in the same light,” Clair assumed. She had never met or even heard of Janine’s mother, making her question if Koga was divorced or a widower.

“I don’t have a mother,” Janine said bitterly. “She left me all alone at my father’s doorstep.”

Clair’s eyes widened in surprise. “Oh,” she muttered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Janine grumbled. “It happened twenty years ago. I’m over it.”

“It doesn’t sound like it,” Clair observed.

“I try not to let the past drag me down,” Janine murmured.

“I think you might be letting it,” Clair suggested.

“I know,” Janine stated as she rubbed her hands against her shoulders. “My dad is the only family I know.”

“Is he what made you try to jump into that whirlpool?” Clair asked.

“Yes, no. I don’t know,” Janine said quickly. “I was trying to get everything in my head together before I went on a date with somebody. Then, my dad showed up and I just panicked. I didn’t let him know I was dating somebody. I wanted to tell him when I was ready. Seeing him there, asking who my date was too much. I just lost it and wanted to be alone.”

“And you think being dead is going to solve your problems?” Clair asked. “Does your dad have anyone else in his family he can talk to?”

“No,” Janine answered.

“I figured as much,” Clair replied. “I know you’re upset, but your dad cares about you. Don’t let him be worried about you. Considering how old he is, I’m surprised you haven’t given him a heart attack.”

“He’s not _that_ old,” Janine retorted, insulted by Clair’s last comment. “He’s not even forty.”

“Well, he’s certainly not aging well,” Clair snarked, making Janine fume. “I’m just saying, he cares about you and you really make him happy. Don’t scare him like that.”

“I’m not ready to talk to him yet,” Janine whispered.

“Okay, let’s work on calming you down first,” Clair suggested.

Janine slowly nodded before she noticed a Teddiursa plushie sitting behind her. She picked it up and hovered the bear in Clair’s line of sight, sending a shiver down the latter’s spine. “Hey, what’s this?”

Clair’s face became consumed by a red hue as she snagged the plushie away. “Give me that!” she snapped.

Janine’s lips curled into a smile. “Wow. Do you sleep with that?”

“No!” Clair shouted, wrapping her arms around the plushie. “It... belongs to my cousin, Lance.”

Janine raised a confused eyebrow. “The champion sleeps in your bed? How close are you two again?”

Clair sighed. “Okay, it’s mine!” she confessed angrily.

Janine began giggling. “Seriously?”

“So what?” Clair erupted, making Janine laugh even more. “It makes me happy! You better not tell anyone about this.”

“Why?” Janine asked smugly. “I thought sleeping with it made you happy.”

Clair groaned. “Fine, I feel bad that I still sleep with these stupid things, but it’s comforting! Have you ever found something you find comforting?”

A familiar face flashed into Janine’s brain. “Falkner.”

“The bird guy?” Clair asked.

Janine nodded. “He’s the guy I’m... dating.”

“And where is he now?”

“I don’t know.”

“He’s probably worried about you,” Clair suggested. “Why not go to him?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you love him?”

“Yes.”

“Then why not go visit him?”

“I can’t,” Janine murmured.

“Why not?”

“I’m a coward,” Janine admitted.

“And why is that?”

“I don’t know.”

“Stop,” Clair demanded. “All you’re doing is repeating yourself. You clearly know why.”

“I’ve focused too much on my dad and not being me,” Janine murmured. “I’ve just been copying my father this whole time. There, you happy?”

Clair nodded. “Better. Now, you have two options. You can keep running away from your problems or you can face them directly. What are you doing to do?”

Janine tapped her fingers together nervously. “Can I wait a bit on facing my problems?”

Clair facepalmed herself again. “You’re never going to make any progress that way.”

“Maybe I can do some more training first,” Janine suggested.

“Stop ignoring your problems,” Clair stated angrily.

“You can’t tell me what to do,” Janine huffed.

“I’m starting to see why you have issues,” Clair observed.

“Hey!” Janine shouted.

“Janine, you ignore my advice. You keep trying to avoid the problem. How long until you see your dad or Falkner again? What are you going to do then? I’m sorry if I’m not very sympathetic right now, but you can’t run away every time you get scared.”

“Okay,” Janine conceded. “I just need something to calm my nerves before I talk to either of them.”

“And what does that?” Clair asked.

“I guess getting a new Pokémon always cheers me up,” Janine replied.

“The Safari Zone near Cianwood City is a good place for that,” Clair replied. “I’ll help you out but after that, please talk to Falkner or your dad.”

“Uh...” Janine murmured. “Maybe I could visit somebody else before that. You know, to prepare myself for what I have to deal with.”

Clair sighed. “Fine, but after that, you _are_ talking to Falkner or your dad.”

Janine nodded. “I promise.”

Janine and Clair entered the Safari Zone. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever been here before,” the ninja stated as the duo walked through the tall grass that reached up to their knees. They made their way through various areas before finding themselves in an area caked with mud. Their movements began to slow as they marched through patches of grass present drenched in mud. “It’s getting hard to walk,” Janine murmured as she struggled to pull her foot out of the mud.

Clair looked down at her boots, no longer the once prim blue hue that they were. Instead, they were coated in a thick, muddy brown. “You’re telling me,” she muttered. _Why did I come here with her again?_

Stars popped into Janine’s eyes as she saw a new Pokémon in her line of sight. “Oooh,” she murmured excitedly. “What’s that Pokémon?” she asked, mesmerized by the creature. The Pokémon was dark blue and bipedal. She had yellow eyes, which were surrounded by black markings. There were orange, expandable pouches on her cheeks, and her teeth were wide and flat. A black marking encircles her upper arms and chest, and there were white bands around her chest. She had three fingers and toes, most of which were black. The only digits that were not black were her center fingers, which were orange instead. The Pokémon’s cheeks expanded and compressed as she locked eyes with Janine.

Clair blinked in disbelief. “It’s... a Croagunk. It comes from the Sinnoh region.”

“What type is it?” Janine asked eagerly.

“Poison and fighting,” Clair answered, making Janine even more excited. “Do you... not know any Pokémon outside of Kanto?” Clair asked the young woman, who chuckled nervously.

“I have an Ariados and I know some Johto Pokémon,” Janine stated.

“Perhaps that Croagunk will do you some good,” Clair replied. “Just be prepared. Its Poison Jab is nothing to mess around with.”

“Can it learn Surf?” Janine asked.

Clair shook her head. “No. Why would it learn Surf?”

Janine shrugged. “I don’t know. It might be useful.”

“If that were possible, then every Pokémon would learn Surf,” Clair retorted.

“I’m gonna catch it,” Janine stated, pulling out a Poké Ball from her pocket. She gave an overhand toss, sending the Poké Ball rocketing towards Croagunk. The Pokémon held back her left arm and slapped the Poké Ball back at Janine, smacking the sphere straight into her face. “Ow!” Janine whimpered, rubbing the blood dripping from her nose. “Since when Pokémon do that?!”

Clair burst into laughter as Janine gritted her teeth. “You should see the look on your face!” Clair giggled. Suddenly, her left leg became limp as something jabbed itself into her ankle. Her body lost control of itself as she collapsed into the mud, her face becoming masked in the sludge. “Ew,” Clair whined as Janine snickered. Clair craned her neck to see Croagunk’s right hand was glowing purple, making her realize that the creature had used the move Poison Jab on her. “What did I do to deserve that?” Clair whimpered as Janine kept laughing.

Janine ceased her giggles and returned her gaze to Croagunk as an idea formed in her head. “I think we got off on the wrong foot,” she began, tiptoeing over to the Pokémon. Although the mud slowed her movement, there was nothing stopping her determination. “I think you and I can be pretty good friends,” she continued as she bent her knee to talk to Croagunk eye to eye. “Does that sound good?” She held out her hand, waiting for Croagunk’s response. Croagunk’s cheeks expanded as she nodded, shaking Janine’s hand. As her cheeks compressed, Janine grinned eagerly and pulled out a Poké Ball. She tapped Croagunk’s head with a new Poké Ball, encasing the creature in her new home. Janine smiled as she rubbed the remaining blood from her nose and walked over to Clair, who had been tripping while trying to pick herself up. Her entire body, including her hair, was inundated with mud as she felt Croagunk’s poison seep through her veins.

Clair looked up to Janine. “Do you have an antidote by chance?” she asked weakly.

“What happened to being prepared?” Janine asked smugly as she placed the Poké Ball in her pocket.

Clair frowned. “We all make mistakes,” she said through gritted teeth.

Janine placed a hand to her ear. “What’s the magic word?”

“Give it.”

Janine shrugged. “Eh, I guess I can always use it on myself.”

“Please!” Clair pleaded.

Janine giggled. “Sure, Clair-brain,” she replied, spritzing Clair's ankle with the bottle in her hand.

“What?” Clair asked as she wiped the mud off her face.

Janine shook her head. “Sorry,” she apologized as she helped Clair up. “Just thinking about bird brain, I mean Falkner.”

Clair smirked. “Maybe you should talk to him.”

Janine nodded in agreement. “I will. Just when I’m ready.”

“That’s more like it, uh...”

“Janine.” The ninja raised a frustrated eyebrow. “How do you _not_ remember my name?”

“I know your name!” Clair insisted. “I’m just trying to think of a nickname for you.”

“Falkner likes to call me Snake,” Janine reminisced peacefully.

“As an insult?” Clair asked.

Janine shrugged as she smiled. “Not sure, but I feel better when he calls me it. I like to call him my birdman.” Her cheeks became red as she realized the awkwardness of that statement. “Wow, that sounds _really_ dorky, huh?”

Clair snorted. “I think it’s cute. So, your nickname will be...” She took over a minute to think, still having trouble coming up with a name.

“Need some help?” Janine offered. “I think I’m pretty good at nicknames.”

Clair sighed as she waved her hand in concession. “Just give me some ideas.”

“Well, these are just ones I’ve thought of. For Blaine, I was thinking... Boiler,” Janine said proudly, referring to the bald fire type gym leader on Cinnabar Island.

Clair giggled. “That’s funny.”

“For Erika, I was thinking Snoozer,” Janine continued, making Clair chuckle once more.

“Anything for me?”

A devious grin crawled its way onto Janine’s lips. “How about... Big Butt?” she suggested, thinking back to the modelling photos she had seen hanging in Clair’s bedroom.

Clair’s eyes snapped open in shock. “What? My butt isn’t big!” she barked while Janine continued to grin.

“After that Poison Jab, it’s even bigger,” Janine snarked.

“Shut up! It didn’t even get me there!” Clair yelled, scaring off the wild Pokémon in the area.

“What? I thought models liked having those kinds of _assets,_ ” Janine taunted, making Clair fume even more. She waved Clair goodbye and began marching towards the Safari Zone’s exit. “Later, Princess.”

“I prefer Queen,” Clair boasted.

Janine chuckled as she stopped walking to face Clair once more. “Wow. And I thought _I_ had issues.”

“Hey!” Clair shouted. “I haven’t even figured out your nickname yet!”

Janine smiled. Things were starting to feel normal again for her. “Well? I’m waiting.”

Clair scratched her chin as she returned to her thinking process. “Okay. How about...” She extended her hands out with her next statement. “...the Toxic Ninja!” Her hands drooped as she noticed Janine’s lack of a reaction. “Too lame?”

Janine chuckled as she placed her hands on her hips. “Yeah, but considering who I am, it fits.”

Clair smirked. “Glad you like it.”

Janine shook her head, but maintained her smile. “I don’t. I’m just saying it fits.”

“Oh,” Clair murmured, slightly disappointed.

Janine stretched her arms out as she let out a yawn. “Do you know any good people to help calm my nerves? I get the feeling we’re going to keep arguing.”

“Jasmine is always fun to be around,” Clair answered.

“Who’s that?” Janine asked. _Is this just a running gag in my life where I don’t know things?_ she asked herself.

Clair resisted the urge to facepalm herself for a third time. “Do you _not_ know anybody besides your dad and your boyfriend?”

_And there it is,_ Janine wanted to say. “I know Whitney,” she instead stated, prompting a look of genuine sympathy from Clair.

“You poor soul.”

“And I know that Ethan guy, but everyone knows him,” Janine contributed.

“Jasmine’s the gym leader in Olivine City,” Clair explained. “She’s pretty nice and a good friend.”

“I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you compliment someone,” Janine noticed.

“Don’t expect me to do that too often,” Clair said with a grin. “She can probably help you out. Just don’t freak her out. She’s pretty easily scared,” Clair explained. “She might be in the Olivine Café right now.” Clair placed her hand under her mouth as if she was about to reveal a world ending secret. “She doesn’t like anybody knowing, but she’s a _big_ eater.”

“Got it,” Janine replied, taking note of Clair’s words.

“After that, please talk to your boyfriend or dad,” Clair pleaded, placing her hand on Janine’s shoulder. “As much as you are a pain, I don’t like seeing you hurting.”

Janine nodded as she rubbed the mud off her shoulders. “Thanks, Clair,” she replied. “Sorry if I piss you off too much.”

“At this point, I’m used to it,” Clair stated as she let out a sigh.

Janine waved her off as she turned around. “Later, you big...” Clair tensed up as she prepared to give another rant. “...softie.”

Clair’s heart returned its normal speed as she scratched her head. “Okay, I guess I am.”

Clair returned to the Dragon’s Den, having cleaned herself off in a shower and changed into a clean, albeit identical pair of clothes. “Back to training,” she told herself.

“Hey, you’re that water princess in love with her cousin, right?” a familiar voice startled her. “Man, I am breaking records with how many people I do that to.”

Clair craned her neck to see Whitney and Falkner on her left. “Not you again,” she grumbled, more than familiar with Whitney’s antics. She supposed there was not a person of any importance who didn’t know who Whitney was. “I’m not in love with my cousin!” she roared in Whitney’s direction, nearly knocking the latter down from her breath alone. “And I’m a dragon princess, I mean queen! I mean-”

Whitney snickered. “Wow. Ego much?” she stated.

Clair's eyes latched onto Falkner. “You’re Janine’s birdman, right?” she asked.

Falkner blushed as he began stammering. “Well, kind of...”

“If you’re looking for her, she’s busy with a friend of mine,” Clair stated, crossing her arms. “She won’t be able to talk for a while.”

“We need to talk to her now,” Falkner stated, regaining his composure. “Her dad’s in the hospital.”

Clair froze as her jaw dropped. “Ohhhhhh...”

Janine entered the Olivine Café and observed her surroundings. Although it was only afternoon, she was surprised with how few customers were present. She also could not believe she spent most of the morning with Clair. _That Dragon’s Den is not a good place to sleep,_ Janine thought as she took a step forward. She saw a young woman sitting in the green high top chair at the bar. The young woman, Jasmine, appeared to be a year older than her. Jasmine was surrounded by several dirty plates as she covered her mouth when a burp escaped from her lips.

Jasmine had long brown hair that reached her waist with two orange beads that tie two locks of her hair in pigtails. She wore a teal sundress with a bridal hem that reached down to her knees and an orange puffy bow on her chest with a snow white coat that went down to her waist and sleeves that went over her elbows. She also wore white sandals that had two teal decorations. “May I just have one more round?” she asked timidly, and received a quick nod from the man behind the counter. “Thank you,” she said with a small smile. Although she would not admit this to anyone other than Clair, she absolutely adored the selection of seafood and desserts available.

“Excuse me,” Janine began, tapping on Jasmine’s right shoulder.

“Ah!” Jasmine yelled, falling out of her chair. “Ow...” she murmured, rubbing her aching head.

Janine sighed. _Well, I’m off to a great start…_


	4. Chapter 4

“Are you okay?” Janine asked as she helped Jasmine up.

“Not... really,” Jasmine whimpered, rubbing her aching backside.

“Sorry,” Janine winced.

“Who are you?” Jasmine asked as she returned to her seat at the bar. She gave a small smile as the man from behind the counter placed a seafood platter in front of her. Janine watched in awe as Jasmine grazed through the dish, eating the diced up fish in no time.

_Is she even breathing?_ Janine wondered, watching Jasmine finish the meal in less than two minutes.

Jasmine covered her mouth as a burp erupted from her lungs. “Excuse me,” she whispered, hoping nobody was staring at her. She returned her gaze towards Janine, who was now sitting in the seat next to her. Jasmine nearly fell out of her seat again. She did not even hear Janine move.

“I’m Janine,” the ninja introduced herself, somewhat unnerved by Jasmine’s panic attack. “Your friend Clair said you can help calm my nerves.”

“You know Clair?” Jasmine asked, returning to her senses.

Janine nodded slowly. “You could say that.”

“Are you two friends?” Jasmine asked.

Janine tilted her right hand left and hand with a nervous smile. “You could say that.” Her eyes latched onto Jasmine’s empty plate. “For somebody so thin, you sure eat a lot.”

Jasmine chuckled nervously as she twirled her fingers. “Well, I do walk a lot, too...” she murmured with a smile.

“So what do you do that's so calming?” Janine asked, resting one arm over another.

Jasmine shrugged. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I just be myself,” she said with an awkward smile.

“Maybe we can do some training,” Janine suggested eagerly. “That can help calm me down.”

“Oh,” Jasmine murmured, looking away from Janine “I'm really not much of a trainer...”

Janine blinked in disbelief. “But you’re a gym leader...”

Jasmine looked back at Janine and gave an awkward laugh. “Well, you know what I mean...”

“How did you become a gym leader?” Janine questioned, crossing her legs together in the hopes of calming herself down.

“I was the strongest trainer in the city at the time,” Jasmine said slowly. “And I love steel types. They’re really strong, you know?” she stated, struggling to maintain eye contact with Janine. “Everyone thought I should be the gym leader after the old one retired. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone, so I said yes.” Her eyes finally locked with Janine’s as she asked the following question: “How did you become a gym leader?”

Janine chuckled. “My dad gave me his gym after he became part of the Elite 4,” she said with a smirk.

Jasmine blinked, baffled by Janine’s answer. “He just... gave it to you?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Janine barked suddenly, startling Jasmine once more. “Oops,” Janine murmured, catching Jasmine by the elbow before the latter fell out of her chair again.

“Ow,” Jasmine whispered, rubbing her aching elbow. Janine’s sudden grip there was like a thunderbolt to her nervous system.

“Sorry,” Janine apologized, her face becoming red as she looked away. _Why do I keep screwing up?_ she wondered. “I didn’t mean to do that.”

Jasmine sighed. “Can you promise me you won’t get mad for what I have to say?”

Janine slowly nodded as she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. “I promise.”

“It sounds like you only got to be gym leader because of who your dad is.”

Janine’s eyes popped open as she struggled not to let out her rage. “That’s not true,” she stated bitterly. “I got to be gym leader because I earned it. I’m tough enough to be the gym leader.”

“Then why are you asking me to train you?” Jasmine asked.

Janine groaned as she rubbed the palm of her hand against her forehead. “This was a mistake,” she said, stepping out of the chair. She dashed out of the restaurant, leaving Jasmine shocked.

“Wait!” Jasmine shouted before falling out of her chair once more. “Ow,” she murmured, rubbing her aching knees. _Why does that keep happening?_ she asked herself. She turned to the man behind the counter and rubbed her heels together nervously. “Do you mind if I... pay for this later?”

The man smiled as he nodded. “Don’t worry, Jasmine. I know you’re good for it.”

“Thanks...” Jasmine muttered, feeling a ping of guilt strike her body. “I’ll be back to pay for it soon!” she shouted as she ran out of the restaurant. She looked around her surroundings, finding that the ninja had disappeared. _Where did she go?_ She ran up and down the stony dock for the S.S Aqua, a ferry service that was connected to Olivine City. She stopped when she saw an older woman standing motionlessly on the dock.

This woman, twenty five years old, had short black hair that was around shoulder blade length, and she wore a tight-fitting spaghetti strap pink crop top that showed her midriff and white slim fit pants attached with a black belt around her waist and pink slip on shoes. She also wore green and black bracelets on her wrists. She held her hands behind her back as she observed the water wash up against the dock as boats passed her by. “Sabrina?” Jasmine asked, surprised at the legendary psychic type gym leader from Kanto in her presence. “What are you doing here?”

“Every once in a while, I get the urge to see the ocean,” Sabrina stated solemnly as she studied the water’s movements. She craned her neck to lock eyes with Jasmine, sending a chill down the latter’s spine. Sabrina was one of Kanto’s most powerful trainers and her mysterious demeanor, combined with her own psychic abilities that very few people possessed, always terrified Jasmine. “I assume you want to know where Janine went?” the psychic surmised.

Jasmine’s body shook as she gave a quick nod. She did not want to question whether Sabrina had physically seen Janine or had one of her famous visions. _Did she read my mind? Can she even do that?!_ Jasmine thought worriedly.

“She went down Route 40,” Sabrina explained, pointing forward past the docks and toward the beach. “She seems quite furious.”

“Thanks, Sabrina,” Jasmine stated a small smile before running onto the beach.

Sabrina nodded as she returned her gaze to the ocean. With a single blink, an orb of water floated above the ocean. Sabrina smirked as the liquid took on the shape of a shuriken.

Jasmine raced onto the beach before something stopped her in her tracks. “Ow!” she yelped, feeling a throbbing sensation pierce her left toes. She held onto her quivering foot as she noticed a pile of rocks standing inches away from her. “What the?” She looked to see Janine on her left, tossing a rock every few seconds from the stash in her right hand. The rock bounced across the water and smashed into the line of boulders enclosing the ocean, submerging the pieces underwater.

Janine sighed as she dropped the rocks from her hand, letting them create a small dune as they dropped against the sand. “What do you want?” she asked, facing Jasmine.

Jasmine struggled to walk up to Janine, her left foot still aching. “Do you... want to talk about... whatever this is?” she wheezed.

“Do I have to?” Janine asked, looking down at her feet.

“You’re the one who came to me,” Jasmine whimpered. “You wanted to talk to me about something.”

Janine looked at her hands, then clenched them as her eyes became moist. “I... just want to be stronger.”

Jasmine tilted her head in confusion. “Why?”

Janine groaned. “I’m tired of being weak,” she stated. “I’m tired of losing to every trainer who shows up at my gym. What’s the point of being a gym leader if everyone walks over you?” she whimpered as tears began streaming down her face.

“It’s not always about winning,” Jasmine pointed out.

“I know that, but I just want to win more for once,” Janine replied as she wiped the tears from her face. “How do you do it?”

Jasmine shrugged. “I just go day by day with a smile...” she stated, curving her lips upward. “...and hope for the best. I know that won’t always happen, but I try not to let that stop me.” She held out her arms, making Janine blink in confusion.

“What are you doing?”

“Offering you a hug,” Jasmine stated, wrapping her arms around Janine. “You look like you need one.”

Janine slowly placed her hands around Jasmine’s back. “Thanks,” she murmured.

“It’s going to be okay,” Jasmine assured Janine.

Janine raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that?”

Jasmine released herself from Janine. “I don’t, but I like to think it will be.” She pulled out a small, portable stereo box and hooked to it a set of headphones. “Maybe this might help you calm down,” she stated, placing one headphone in her right ear and the other in Janine’s left. As the music played, Jasmine swung her body back and forth in beat with the music.

Janine listened to the beat of the music, which created a rhythmic pattern as the musical notes bounced around in her eardrums. “What kind of music is that?” she questioned.

Jasmine stopped her dancing as her jaw dropped. “You’ve never heard jazz music before?” she asked, flabbergasted.

Janine shook her head. “Not enough to recognize it.”

“Well, let’s listen to something you like,” Jasmine suggested, handing the stereo over to Janine. “Maybe I can understand you better that way.”

Janine looked through various music selections on the stereo and grinned upon finding her choice. She pressed play and began rocking her head back and forth as intense frequencies from heavily-distorted guitars rang in her and Jasmine’s ears. “This I like,” she stated.

Jasmine’s stomach churned as her ears felt like they were being torn apart by the music. She yanked the headphone out of her ear and held onto her racing heart. “What... was... that?” she gasped.

Janine grinned as she pulled out the headphone. “Death metal.”

Jasmine shuddered as she took back her music player. “It was... horrifying,” she barely managed to say.

“Well, that’s who I am,” Janine said with a shrug as she let out a small chuckle. “Some loser who can’t live up to her dad,” she conceded.

“Don’t say that,” Jasmine advised. “You’re better than that and you know it.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Janine replied.

“She’s right, you know,” a voice whispered into her ear, startling her.

“Ah!” Janine shrieked, nearly falling over. Jasmine took a step back, too afraid to react. Janine spun around to see Sabrina in front of her, with the psychic crossing her arms.

“That happens a lot, doesn’t it?” Sabrina assumed, placing her right hand against her smirking lips.

“No,” Janine murmured, her cheeks turning crimson. “Yes,” she finally conceded, looking down at the sand. She had met Sabrina once before, at the ceremony where her father had joined the Elite Four. As far as Janine was concerned, Sabrina was one of the toughest trainers in Kanto, and quite possibly the world. Sabrina did not say anything to her the first time they had met, instead minding her own business. The fact that Sabrina was speaking to her now surprised her.

To the right of Sabrina appeared a Pokémon. The creature had a humanoid structure and a large mustache. He possessed a long, thin snout, narrow eyes, ear-like spikes extending from the top of his head, and an additional spike protruding from each cheek. Covering his yellow, skeletal body were brown armor-like sections over his chest, shoulders, forearms and knees. In each hand rested a silver spoon. “Alakazam,” the Pokémon spoke, making Sabrina laugh.

“Yeah, she is,” Sabrina agreed.

“Hey!” Janine snapped. “What did that thing say about me?”

“He says that you are a very lost soul,” Sabrina explained, making Janine groan.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Janine replied.

“Come with me,” Sabrina stated, holding out her hand.

Janine raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Do you want to feel better?” Sabrina asked.

“Yes,” Janine stated, accepting Sabrina’s hand. Sabrina gave a nod to Alakazam, whose eyes suddenly flashed white as a light surrounded himself, Sabrina, and Janine. When the light dispersed, the trio had disappeared, leaving Jasmine by herself.

“What... just happened?” Jasmine wondered.

“Hey, have you seen Janine?” a voice rang in her ears as something tapped her on the shoulder.

“Eeep!” Jasmine yelped, pulling herself away from whatever was touching her. She saw Whitney and Falkner behind her, making her take a deep breath. _Not her again…_ Jasmine wanted to say. She remembered the first time Whitney had talked to her. She was tending to her friend, Amphy the Ampharos. Amphy acted as the light to Olivine City’s lighthouse and was a great source of comfort for Jasmine. While Jasmine had been visiting Amphy at the top of the lighthouse, Whitney had mysteriously made her way up to the top. There, Whitney would introduce herself to Jasmine.

_“Hi! I’m Whitney! You’re Jasmine, right? I’ve heard so much about you! Ooh! That’s a cute bow you’ve got!” she had exclaimed, speaking so fast that Jasmine could barely hear her._

_“Why are you here?” Jasmine had asked, a bit frightened by how Whitney had appeared out of nowhere._

_“Just felt like making a friend!” Whitney would explain to her casually. “Hey! Is that an Ampharos?” she had asked, pointing to a yellow, bipedal Pokémon with a white belly. Ampharos had conical ears with black stripes and a red orb on her forehead. Her long neck had several black rings around her near the base. Her stubby arms had resembled flippers and each foot had a single white nail. She had possessed a long, black-striped tail with a red orb at the tip._

_“Yes, it’s Amphy,” Jasmine would explain._

_“Cool!” Whitney had exclaimed, tapping the red orb on Amphy’s tail and making it glow up. “Can it make toast?”_

_“What?” Jasmine would blink in disbelief. “Amphy is not a toaster. And stop poking her!” she yelled, surprising herself that she would ever raise her voice. For some reason, however, Whitney got on her nerves._

_“Sorry,” Whitney would reply before finding the next topic of conversation. “Hey, can she charge my phone? My battery’s about to die.”_

_“No,” Jasmine had grumbled. “Please leave.”_

_“Okay,” Whitney would tell her, walking off. “Talk to you tomorrow?” she had asked._

_Jasmine would shake her head, sending a disappointed Whitney on her way._

In present time, Jasmine shuddered. She had not seen Whitney in months, making her wonder how much the chatterbox wanted to tell her. “It’s really important that we find her,” Whitney explained.

“She just left,” Jasmine stated. She took notice of Falkner, making her confused. “And who are you?” she asked the blue-haired man.

“That’s Janine’s boyfriend, Falkner,” Whitney answered before Falkner could even open his mouth, making his face redder than a shiny Gyarados. “So, do you know where she is?”

“That’s a long story...” Jasmine said with a sigh.

Janine opened her eyes, finding herself sitting in a wooden booth of an ice cream shop. “Where are we?” she wondered.

“We’re in Saffron City,” Sabrina explained, sitting on the opposite side of the booth. The two sat inside the shop, with rows of ice cream containers sitting behind the countertop on their right. On their left rested a window allowing outsiders to view the duo, although a quick glance at Sabrina would often scare people away. Either that or attract people wanting to ask for her autograph or out on a date.

In front of Janine rested a white, oval-shaped cup with two scoops of vanilla ice cream. Sabrina herself had an identical cup, albeit with chocolate ice cream. “Why are we here?”

“I had a vision,” Sabrina explained, placing a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. “In that vision, I saw you were in pain and that I would help you.”

“Okay, buy why ice cream?” Janine questioned the psychic.

Sabrina shrugged as she took another bite. “It tastes good.”

“Seems unhealthy...” Janine murmured, thinking about the sugars and fats that were contained inside the cold dessert. The last time she had eaten something so unhealthy was the bread sticks, which had given her a stomach ache.

Sabrina chuckled. “I doubt that’s stopped you before,” she replied. “I’m afraid we won’t be doing any physical training if that’s what you’re after.”

Janine raised an eyebrow, making her wonder how Sabrina knew of her favorite method of calming herself down. _Did her visions tell her that?_

“I suppose you might find this ironic, but I really don’t like to fight,” Sabrina said nonchalantly, confusing Janine even more.

“But you’re one of the strongest trainers in Kanto,” Janine stated, flabbergasted. “Why be a gym leader if you hate the stuff?”

“I don’t hate it,” Sabrina stated, finishing her ice cream off. “As a child, I saw a vision where I would become a gym leader. From that point on, I decided that was my path.”

“Doesn’t seem like you really got to choose,” Janine observed.

“My visions don’t always come true,” Sabrina explained. “I once believed I could beat that trainer, Red. Then I believed I could beat Ethan. Both visions were wrong,” she stated. “I chose this path because I see to it to help others improve. I like seeing others be the best they can possibly be. The same applies to me, as well.” She smirked as she held up her metal spoon. With a mere thought, the spoon bent as if it was a strand of spaghetti. “The psychic type is a talented one, don’t you agree?” she bragged.

Janine sighed. She truly envied the psychic’s power. Everything seemed to be in perfect balance for Sabrina. “Yeah, but you’re literally a psychic,” Janine pointed out, making Sabrina chuckle.

“True,” Sabrina conceded.

A thought popped into Janine’s brain, making her spit out her next question immediately. “Hey, do you think you could look into my future?”

“If I wanted to become a fortune teller, then you and I would not be having this conversation right now,” Sabrina stated.

Janine groaned. “It’s never that easy.”

“If it helps, I can tell you this,” Sabrina offered, making Janine’s ears perk up. “My psychic ability is the power to influence people. With it, you close your mind and drown out excessive thoughts. It’s not a matter of bending spoons or anything like that. It’s all about controlling your own mind. I think everyone has the ability to reach that if they train hard enough. Some people don’t realize they can and others don’t even try.”

“Do you think I can?” Janine asked.

Sabrina grinned. “I know it.”

Janine nodded with reassurance. “Thanks.” She grabbed the spoon hovering above the edge of the table and began chowing down on her ice cream. “Hey, this stuff is pretty good!” she exclaimed, continuing to plunder through the desert.

Sabrina blinked in disbelief. _This_ she had not seen coming. “Do you mind not using Alakazam’s spoon?” she asked, making Janine gulp.

Janine tilted her head to her left, seeing Alakazam growling at her. “Sorry...” she apologized, handing the damp spoon over to the Pokémon. With a blink of his eyes, Alakazam sent Janine flying into the air. He began spinning her like a shuriken and then shaking her like a ragdoll, making her scream along the way.

“Alakazam, put her down,” Sabrina demanded sternly, making Alakazam drop Janine to the floor.

“Ow,” Janine whimpered, rubbing her sore elbows as she slowly picked herself up. “What was that for?” she asked weakly.

“Sorry,” Sabrina apologized, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. “Most people don’t use his spoon for... _those_ purposes.”

“He didn’t have to leave his spoon so close to the table,” Janine complained. A new thought entered Janine’s brain. “Hey, did you have this ice cream prepared because of your vision?”

“I set it up for that purpose, yes,” Sabrina admitted, pulling herself out of the booth.

“So what would have happened if your vision was wrong?”

Sabrina smiled. “More for me,” she replied, making Janine sigh. “There’s one more thing I want to show you.” Alakazam flashed his eyes once more, transporting them to the docks inside Olivine City.

“We’re back in Olivine City?” Janine asked, observing the water current.

Sabrina nodded. “The ocean has a very calming effect on me,” she stated, smiling as she saw several water Pokémon pass them by. Alakazam remained to the right of Sabrina, copying her movements. “I think that's what everybody needs. Something that calms them down.”

“I _sea_ what you mean,” Janine joked.

Sabrina chuckled while keeping eye contact with the ocean. “Puns. I saw that coming.”

Janine grumbled. “No, you didn’t,” she insisted before realizing what Sabrina meant. “Oh, right. Psychic,” she murmured, becoming vexxed.

“Janine!” a relieved voice shouted, making her spin around.

Janine blinked in disbelief as Whitney crashed into her, knocking her onto the ground. “Whitney?” Janine asked in surprise.

“You’re okay!” Whitney exclaimed, wrapping her arms tightly around Janine. “I’m so glad you’re alive!”

“You already knew she was alive,” a familiar voice pointed out.

“Yeah, but I like confirmation,” Whitney chuckled, hugging Janine even tighter.

“You’re... crushing... me...” Janine gasped, struggling to break free from Whitney’s grip.

“Sorry!” Whitney apologized, releasing Janine from her bear hug.

Janine panted for air as she looked up to see Falkner in front of her. “Hi...” she mumbled, slowly picking herself up.

“Hi...” Falkner murmured back, rubbing his elbow as he locked eyes with Janine. “Do you want to talk about what hap-”

“So are you two going to kiss?” Whitney interrupted, making the couple’s faces become covered by a crimson hue.

“Whitney!” the two yelled simultaneously, making the pink-haired girl laugh nervously.

“Maybe later,” she murmured. She turned around and noticed Sabrina watching them with an amused smirk. “Hey! You’re the psychic lady, right?” she asked. From what Jasmine had told her, Janine had been spending time with a psychic woman. She had also heard stories of Sabrina and her status as a gym leader, but had never gotten the chance to actually meet her.

The smirk dissipated from Sabrina’s lips. “I am, but I prefer Sabrina,” she stated calmly. She knew so little about Whitney, but her aura alone seemed like a bad omen.

“Neat!” Whitney exclaimed. “Hey, can you help me out with my lottery numbers? I’ll split my winnings with you.”

Sabrina’s left eye twitched as she took a breath to calm her senses. “I am not a fortune teller.”

Whitney groaned. “Why not?”

“That’s not what I intended to do with my life,” Sabrina spoke matter-of-factly.

“Kind of shooting yourself in the foot there,” Whitney snarked.

Sabrina groaned, surprising Janine. The ninja had never expected Sabrina to be anything other than calm and relaxed. “You’re impossible,” Sabrina said to Whitney, a hint of stress taking over the psychic’s voice.

Whitney merely laughed, making Sabrina’s eye twitch even further. “Thanks. Sometimes you have to be impossible to do all that’s possible.”

“Were you dropped on your head or something?” Sabrina finally snapped, making Janine’s eyes widen. The ninja never foresaw Sabrina ever getting so angry.

_Then again, she’s talking to Whitney,_ Janine also considered.

Whitney scratched her head, confused by the question. “You mean when I was a baby or the past five years?”

Sabrina groaned as she faceplamed herself. “How do you function?”

“Hey, I’m just like any other girl,” Whitney said with a shrug. “I check my mailbox every day at six in the morning.”

“I’m wasting my time here,” Sabrina grumbled.

“But that’s the best thing to waste,” Whitney replied with a grin. “Besides broccoli. That stuff’s nasty.”

“Alakazam, teleport them out to where they need to be,” Sabrina stated to her Pokémon on her right, who nodded as his eyes flashed.

Light particles spun around the trio, surprising Janine and Falkner while amazing Whitney.

“Wow, this feels great! I feel so light!” Whitney stated as the light consumed her body before she rubbed her chin. “I wonder if it’s the same stuff in Erika’s aromatherapy.”

“It’s not supposed to feel good!” Sabrina snapped before the trio teleported away. “How does anybody stand her?”

“She teleported us to a hospital?” Janine questioned.

“Yeah, I think it might be the one your dad’s in,” Whitney observed, making Janine lose her breath.

“He’s... in... there?” she muttered.

“Yeah, you kind of gave him a heart attack,” Whitney stated, making Janine cover her tearful eyes in her hands.

“Dad... I’m so sorry,” she whimpered.

“Not helping, Whitney,” Falkner said angrily.

“Sorry,” Whitney whispered, taking a few steps to her right. “I’ll just give you some time alone.”

“Thank you,” Falkner said, letting out a breath of relief.

“Is Dad okay?” Janine asked suddenly.

“I don’t know. We’ve been looking for you,” Falkner stated. “Karen’s been looking after your dad.”

“I need to go check on him,” Janine stated, rushing into the hospital. She dashed to the counter that had an older woman with greying hair sitting behind it. “Doyouknowwheremyfatheris?” Janine spat out quickly, her voice barely comprehensible.

“You’re Koga’s daughter, right?” the woman asked, somewhat unnerved by how quickly Janine had asked her question.

Janine nodded. “Yes. Where is he?”

“Go that way,” the woman replied, pointing to a hallway on her right. “You’ll find him the first door to your left.”

“Thanks!” Janine exclaimed, speeding off in said direction. She pushed the door open and saw her father resting in the hospital bed. His eyes were shut and he was snoring as a white blanket covered his body. His normal clothes had been replaced with a white gown the nurses had provided to him. On his right sat Karen in a yellow chair. She was holding his right hand in her own as he continued his slumber. She turned her head as her eyes widened.

“Janine?” she asked, standing up and running over to her. She trapped Janine in a bear hug as a smile appeared on her lips. “You’re okay!”

Janine nodded as she struggled to breathe. “Is... Dad... okay?” she gasped.

“Oh!” Karen realized, releasing Janine from the hug. “He’s doing alright, just resting.” She looked behind her and observed his sleeping body with a smile. “He’s tougher than he looks, you know.”

Janine chuckled. “That’s my dad for you.”

Koga groaned as his eyes slowly began to peel open. “Where am I?” he murmured, pulling his head up.

“Hi, Dad,” Janine whispered, tiptoeing over to him.

“Good to see you’re awake,” Karen replied.

“Janine...?” Koga muttered, struggling to pull his head up.

“I’m sorry,” Janine apologized, her voice picking up speed with each syllable. “I got so scared and I didn’t know what to do and-”

“Are you okay?” Koga interjected.

“Yes,” Janine answered. “I shouldn’t have scared you like that.”

A small smile found its way onto Koga’s lips. “That doesn’t matter, Janine. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Janine blinked, her jaw nearly dropping. “But I put you in the hospital. You aren’t mad?”

Koga chuckled. “If I didn’t have health insurance from the Pokemon League, then maybe.”

Karen took a step closer as she began talking. “You know, I still owe you that date,” she said with a sultry smirk.

Koga sighed. “I’m not going back to that buffet. And it wasn’t a date.”

“Come on,” Karen said, wiggling her eyebrows while making Janine giggle and Koga groan. “It might help you destress.”

“You’re not to let this go, are you?” Koga surmised.

“Depends on how long you’re willing to tolerate me,” Karen replied.

“Okay,” Koga conceded, making Janine chuckle. “Do you know how to cook?”

Karen comfortably placed her hands on her hips. “Can I?” she said smugly.

“That didn’t answer my question,” Koga murmured.

“I’ll give you two some alone time,” Janine replied with a giggle, waving as she exited the room. As she walked out of the hallway, she noticed a vending machine on her left, making an idea pop into her head. “Where is it?” she wondered, searching her pockets.

“Looking for this?” a familiar voice asked gleefully, making her look to her right.

“Where’d you get that?” Janine asked, seeing Whitney proudly holding up the ninja’s purse.

“Well, you dropped your stuff at the restaurant,” Whitney explained, handing her the purse. “I also put your phone back in there, so now you can call Falkner whenever you like again!”

“Thanks,” Janine murmured, returning her gaze to the vending machine.

“Getting something for Falkner?” Whitney asked coyly.

“No,” Janine stated, putting a dollar into the machine. “I just want to know where the bread sticks are.”

Whitney craned her head, blinking as Janine searched the machine for the food of her desire. “Uh, what?”

“They taste good,” Janine said with a shrug.

Whitney erupted into laughter. “They don’t sell bread sticks in vending machines. They’re only sold in restaurants.”

“Oh,” Janine murmured dejectedly.

“Don’t worry,” Whitney reassured the ninja. “I’m sure you can get some another time.” She observed the machine’s light, which showed that a single dollar was inserted. “Oh, hey! Somebody left a dollar in here!” She quickly pushed two buttons and eagerly watched as a chocolate bar dropped down to the vent.

“Wait... that was my dollar!” Janine snapped as Whitney pulled the snack out of the machine.

“Huh?” Whitney asked before she realized her error. “Oh... do you want a bite?”

“No, I hate chocolate,” Janine grumbled.

“You have a weird taste in foods,” Whitney observed, pulling down the wrapper and beginning to munch on the chocolate bar.

“You are _so_ encouraging,” Janine replied sarcastically.

“Thanks!” Whitney exclaimed, oblivious to Janine’s attempt to be witty. “So what are you going to do next?”

“Maybe do some training with Falkner,” Janine replied. “Or go out on a date again. I don’t know.”

Whitney suddenly snapped her fingers. “I’ve got an idea!” she stated. “How about your dad and Falkner hang out? He should get to know his future son-in-law!”

“Don’t say it like that,” Janine murmured as she began blushing.

“Come on, it’s a good idea!” Whitney insisted. “I know! Maybe they can do a fishing trip. That’s good father-future-son-in-law bonding!”

“I’m starting to see Karen is reminded of herself when she sees you,” Janine observed weakly.

“Oh, sweet!” Whitney said with a giggle. “So anyway, I’ve got a big plan in store for you tomorrow.”

“Is it another battle with Miltank?” Janine asked worriedly. She was certain Crobat wasn’t ready for a rematch and she was not sure of how strong her new Croagunk was.

“Nope! Even better!” Whitney insisted. “I’m going to teach you how to play baseball!”

“What?” Janine asked, her jaw dropping.

“Well, you’ve never heard of it before, so I figured I’d teach you.”

“There are better things I can do than learn what baseball is,” Janine replied.

“Eh, maybe,” Whitney admitted. “But come on! You’ll have so much fun!”

“Fine,” Janine conceded.

“Yay!” Whitney declared, clasping her hands together.

Janine shuddered. _Why do I get the feeling this is a bad idea?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is Chapter 4 of my Pokémon story. I apologize for long it took to finish this chapter. I do hope you enjoy it.
> 
> For reference, here are the characters' ages:
> 
> Whitney - 18 years old  
> Janine - 20 years old  
> Jasmine - 21 years old  
> Falkner - 22 years old  
> Sabrina - 25 years old  
> Karen - 35 years old  
> Koga - 37 years old
> 
> Ships:
> 
> Janine x Falkner (fatherlyshipping)  
> Koga x Karen


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 5. I apologize for long it's been since the last one. I've been pretty busy and I've having trouble actually thinking of how I want to continue this story. Either way, I hope you can enjoy this chapter.

“So... how did you meet Janine?” Koga asked, locking eyes with Falkner. The two were sitting in a row boat that rested on Lake Rage. Contrary to its name, the waters seemed reasonably calm at the moment. Karen and Whitney had suggested to him he and Falkner go fishing.

_ It’ll be good bonding, _ Whitney had told him when he was still resting in his hospital bed. 

Karen had nodded.  _ Janine likes him and he’s a good guy. _

_ I don’t know if I should trust the advice of either of you two, _ he would tell them.  _ If he’s such a good guy, why did she hide him from me? _

_ She’s pretty nervous about the stuff she likes, _ Karen pointed out.

_ Apparently, _ Koga thought in present time.

Falkner looked over to him nervously, trying to avoid eye contact as they fished.  _ Why did I agree to this? _ he wondered. “That’s... a  _ very _ funny story,” he murmured, his hands shaking as he tried to hold onto his fishing pole.

Koga continued to look at him with a serious expression. “I could use a laugh right about now,” he said, putting down his pole. “Where did you two meet?”

“Celadon Department Store,” Falkner answered, doing the same as Koga.

“And where are you from?” Koga asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Violet City, sir.”

“Isn’t that in Johto?”

“I have my Pokémon fly me over,” Falkner explained.

“Why were you in Celadon City?” Koga questioned.

“I was in town to visit Erika,” Falkner explained.

“You know Erika?” Koga asked. Every once in a while, he would visit different gym leaders throughout Kanto. As a member of the Elite Four, he would sometimes challenge the gym leaders to make sure they were keeping up with their training. When he had encountered Erika, he was surprised by how calm she had been during his visit. She appeared as though nothing ever got her down, which he found both surprising and impressive.

Falkner nodded. “I know a lot of people.”

Koga blinked, not amused in the slightest by his jest.

“Yes, I know her, sir.”

“So how does this relate to Janine?” Koga asked.

“I was buying some stuff at the Celadon Store for my Pokémon before that,” Falkner answered. “She was on the same floor and we bumped into each other.”

_ “Watch it!” Janine snapped. Her backside had collided with Falkner’s, knocking them both to the ground. She rubbed her head as she immediately collected herself and got back on her feet. _

_ “Sorry,” Falkner apologized, although he was not very apologetic given Janine’s attitude. He picked himself up to see Janine crossing her arms. _

_ “You’re one of those Johto guys, right?” Janine had asked. “I saw you in a newspaper once. You’re a gym leader too.” _

_ “Yeah,” Falkner replied. “Name’s Falkner. What’s yours?” _

_ “Seriously?” Janine asked, somewhat miffed. “I’m Janine.” _

_ “Not ringing any bells,” Falkner replied, somewhat confused by her vexation. _

_ “I’m Koga’s daughter.” _

_ “Oh,” Falkner muttered, scratching his head. “I thought you were just somebody pretending to be a ninja.” _

_ A pulsing vein appeared above Janine’s eyebrow as she gritted her teeth. “I  _ am  _ a ninja!” she barked, almost making Falkner snicker. _

_ “Aren’t ninjas supposed to be quiet?” Falkner snarked, irritating Janine further. “And Koga being your dad doesn’t make you special. My dad is way stronger than he is.” _

_ Janine scoffed. “Doubt it. Nobody can beat my dad. He taught me everything I know, so nobody can beat me either.” _

_ “He clearly didn’t teach you how to be a ninja,” Falkner replied. “At least my dad taught me everything I needed to know when he gave me the gym.” _

_ “Yeah right,” Janine snarked, getting into his face. “It was probably a late birthday gift since nobody else wanted his job.” _

_ “Oh yeah? And how did you become a gym leader?” Falkner retorted. _

_ “My dad knew I was the strongest trainer around,” Janine said smugly. “Not including him, of course. That’s why he made me the gym leader when he became part of the Elite Four.” _

_ “You got your gym the same way as I did!” Falkner snapped. _

_ “No, I didn’t!” Janine stated, her hands balling into fists. The two kept shouting at each other for the rest of the day. _

Koga sighed as he rubbed his temples. “It seems you two made quite the impression on one another.”

Falkner nodded awkwardly. “You could say that.”

“I did not realize she’s gotten that much of an ego because of me,” Koga murmured, looking down.

“She’s toned it down since then,” Falkner replied. “We kind of got used to each other. We’d meet back there every once in a while and talk.”

Koga lifted his head back up. “About  _ what  _ exactly _? _ ” he asked with a serious tone.

Sweat dripped down Falkner’s face as he pondered his answer. “You know... stuff.”

“Must have been interesting  _ stuff _ if she stuck around.”

Falkner chuckled nervously, but stopped when he saw Koga was not laughing with him.

“So, how did you two end up going out?”

“That’s  _ also _ a funny story.”

“So far, you have yet to actually make me laugh,” Koga replied, becoming bored with the tedious nature of the conversation. “Does Janine find you funny?”

“Sometimes...” Falkner murmured.

“I suppose I’ve set the bar for comedy too high then,” Koga observed.

Falkner took a deep breath. “I get the feeling you don’t trust me very much.”

“Forgive me if I’m annoyed that Janine has been hiding the fact that she actually hangs out with somebody besides me. I didn’t even know she had any friends until this week.”

“That seems a bit overprotective,” Falkner replied.

Koga sighed once more. “Think about this,” he began. “Imagine someone you care about has been hiding things from you and when you try talking to them about it, they run off and give you a heart attack. How would that make you feel?” he asked sternly.

Falkner paused as he processed the words. While he had initially believed that Koga was simply being scrupulous about matters concerning his daughter, he did not truly understand until now how little Janine had discussed her actual life with her father. “Okay,” he conceded. “I see your point. I still don’t see what you have against me though.”

“It’s not you,” Koga stated. “I just find it sad that Janine didn’t think I should even know you existed.”

“It it helps, I didn’t know she was hiding me from you, sir,” Falkner added weakly.

“It’s not your fault,” Koga said with a sigh. “Maybe you can talk to her about this since she doesn’t seem to like talking about it with me.”

Falkner nodded. “I will.”

“Now that all of that is out of the way, I need to know,” Koga began. “How did you ask her out?”

“Well, I didn’t,” Falkner said with a nervous chuckle. “She did.”

Koga gave a small, albeit hearty laugh. “That’s my girl,” he stated. “Nice to know she still has her determination.”

“There’s more to it, sir,” Falkner continued. “It’s kind of confusing. She lost a bet with Whitney, which meant if she lost a battle then she’d have to ask me out.”

Koga blinked, struggling to process what he had just heard. “...What?”

Falkner nodded awkwardly. “Yeah, so she’s kind of the reason we’re together.”

“Is it... actually a relationship?” he asked, slowly taking in what he was hearing.

“I would say it is now,” Falkner stated, putting on a smile of confidence that he hoped would hide his anxiety.

“Is Janine friends with Whitney?” Koga asked. He remembered seeing Whitney at the restaurant and that she had a habit of annoying everyone around her.

“Friend is a very...  _ strong _ word,” Falkner hesitated.

“Then what is she?”

“I’m not sure,” Falkner sighed. “She kind of just shows up and starts talking...”

Koga rubbed his temples as he nodded in agreement. “You’re not wrong.”

“Smell that?” Whitney asked, taking in a whiff of the air around her. She held her wooden baseball bat over her shoulder as she stood next to home plate. She and Janine had returned to Goldenrod City, currently residing within a baseball field a short distance outside the city’s perimeters.

“The grass?” Janine asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, silly! The whiff of opportunity in the morning!” Whitney announced, pointing her bat into the air.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Janine pointed out. “Baseball, or whatever you call it, is your favorite sport. Everytime I see you, you’re wearing a uniform. It’s like you sleep in those clothes or something.”

Whitney blinked, dumbfounded by Janine’s statements. “How’d you know?” she asked.

Janine groaned as she facepalmed herself. “Just give me the stupid bat.”

“The bat must be given to you,” Whitney stated. “Or maybe it was that it needs to choose you. I can’t remember.”

Janine rubbed her temples, hoping to ease the throbbing headache Whitney gave her on a daily basis. A thought popped into her brain. Karen had told her that Whitney had searched through Dragon’s Den to find her, only to arrive too late as she had already left. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask,” she began, making Whitney perk her ears up. “How did you know to look for me in the Dragon’s Den?”

“Oh, I just like to swim there,” Whitney said with a giggle. “Nice place, not including the whirlpools. They make me seasick.”

“Wait. Have you gotten sucked into one of those before?” Janine asked, somewhat worried.

“Oh hey! It’s Karen!” Whitney exclaimed, craning her neck left.

“Janine!” a familiar voice exclaimed, prompting Janine to follow the sound. Her jaw dropped as she saw what Karen was wearing: a yellow baseball cap, a sky blue uniform shirt, white shorts, and matching shoes. In her left hand was a pitcher’s mitt and her right was a baseball bat.

“What... are you wearing?” Janine asked, her left eye twitching in horror.  _ She looks like she could be Whitney’s mom... _

“You like it?” Karen asked with a devilish smirk. “I figured that these old clothes would still fit, and what do you know?” she asked with a giggle. “They do!”

_ I think I’d rather be stabbed by Croagunk’s Poison Jab... _

“So,” Whitney began, holding her bat over her shoulders. “You’ve never played baseball?”

“No,” Janine replied.

“Any sports?”

“Soccer.”

“That’s boring,” Whitney yawned. “And too long.”

Janine groaned. “It’s the only sport I've ever played.”

“Well, you need new hobbies,” Whitney retorted with a shrug.

“What's the appeal of baseball?”

“It’s the art of patience and practice,” Karen said with a smile.

“I don’t have patience,” Janine pointed out. “That’s why I prefer soccer.” She turned her gaze to Whitney. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but why do you like baseball?”

Whitney grinned. “Well, I do like hitting things with my bat.”

“Uh...” Janine murmured, considering the opportunity to start running.

“Anyway!” Whitney exclaimed, nonchalantly waving her hand in the air. “Here are the rules.” After explaining for ten minutes, Whitney took a deep breath as she watched Janine attempt to process the information that had just been crammed into her head. “Got it?”

“So... I have to get to home plate?” Janine stated.

Whitney nodded eagerly. “Yep!”

Janine began scratching her head. “Why is  _ that _ the goal post? It looks hardly any different from the other bases.”

‘It’s not about what it looks like,” Whitney explained, holding her index finger upward. “It’s about where it is and where you are.”

“I think I want to go home,” Janine murmured, once again rubbing her temples.

Whitney grinned, oblivious to Janine’s sorrow expression. “That’s the spirit!”

“You said this sport was about patience,” Janine said, turning to Karen. “How is it supposed to teach me that?”

“Well, would you rather play golf instead?” Whitney interjected with a giggle.

Janine groaned. “No.”

“With baseball, you have to wait for the right opportunity when the ball comes your way,” Karen explained. “You swing too fast, you pass by it. You swing too slow, you let it pass by you. You just need to find the right moment to hit it.”

“That’s reassuring,” Janine murmured.

“We all get better with practice,” Karen said with a smile. “I’m sure your father knows that better than anyone.”

“Yeah,” Janine conceded. A new thought popped into her brain. As far as she could recollect, Karen was with Koga when they went to that restaurant and was asking about making him dinner in the hospital. As far as she knew, they were dating. The only question was why. “Hey, Karen. You’ve known my dad a long time, right?”

Karen nodded with a small chuckle. “For years,” she stated. “He’s a tough man, but he cares.”

“So, why the sudden interest in him?” Janine finally asked. “He’s not really the romantic type.”

“How should I put it?” Karen wondered aloud, placing her index finger against her chin. “He’s fun to be around, I suppose.”

“ _ Fun _ doesn’t exactly describe my dad.”

“Well, it’s fun to push his buttons,” Karen rephrased herself with a smirk.

“That seems more accurate,” Janine observed. “But why only go out with him now?”

“I suppose you and Falkner gave me the idea,” Karen explained. “I do like being around him. It’s nice to see him smile, to see what lies underneath the cracks of that rough exterior. I want to see where it goes.”

Janine giggled. “If you can make my dad happy, go ahead,” she replied. “But what would you have done if he had said no?”

Karen’s smirk grew even wider. “I probably would have pestered him until he said yes.”

“Uh...”

“Kidding! Kidding!” Karen insisted with an awkward chuckle, although Janine was not convinced.

“Whatever you say,” Janine murmured. “All I know is that you two showed up at the restaurant and you wanted to make him dinner. Something is definitely happening with you two.”

“What can I say?” Karen replied. “We get along.”

“But that does make me wonder,” Janine began. “Did you know that Dad would be able to see me at the restaurant?”

“I figured he would,” Karen admitted awkwardly. “I didn’t think you would have freaked out the way you did. I was hoping you and your dad could have patched things up there.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry all of that happened. I really thought things were going to go differently.”

“It’s fine,” Janine replied. “It’s too late to change it and you’re not the one who ran away. But please, don’t do that again.”

Karen nodded. “You got it.”

“Hey, do you need me to explain it again?” Whitney interjected.

“I feel like you’re going to tell me either way,” Janine replied with a shrug.

“Okay,” Whitney said excitedly. “So first, you want to hit the ball. Second, you want to get to first. Third, you want to get to second. Fourth, you want to get to third. Fifth, well, you now. Got it?”

Janine blinked, trying to comprehend what she had just heard. She could barely comprehend what Whitney said on a regular basis, so she always had to focus more just to hear what the pink-haired girl was saying once. “Could you say it one more time, but slower?”

Whitney scratched her head with the bat, perplexed by the request. “But I was saying it slower...”

Janine paused, baffled by Whitney’s own statements. “Do you... always talk this fast?” she finally asked.

“Probably,” Whitney guessed. “Everyone in my family talks this way.”

If Janine’s jaw could have reached the floor when it dropped, it would have. “ _ Why _ ?”

Whitney shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s just the way we are, I guess.”

“Do you talk to your family a lot?” Janine asked, shuddering at the thought of  _ everyone _ in Whitney’s family speaking the same way.

Whitney shook her head. “Not a lot. They’re usually vacationing in Hoenn. But they send me lots of texts.” She whipped out her phone and opened her text messages. She held it up to Janine, revealing paragraphs of texts.

“I think I need an aspirin,” Janine grumbled. After several more minutes of having the rules explained to her, Janine eventually grabbed a bat and stood beside home plate. Karen acted as the pitcher, winding up her arm before slingshotting the ball out of her palm. The ball was caught by a catcher’s mitt that fit snugly around the hoove of Whitney’s Miltank.

“Strike 1!” Whitney announced, standing behind Miltank while acting as the umpire.

“I didn’t even swing,” Janine complained.

“You don’t have to swing for it to be a strike,” Karen pointed out.

“Good to know,” Janine grumbled.

“It was a strike, to be fair,” Whitney pointed out. “Right, Miltank?”

Miltank nodded as it mooed in agreement.

“See? There you go.”

“Of course  _ your _ Pokémon would agree with you,” Janine snapped.

“Touché,” Whitney conceded.

Janine tightened her fingers around the bat as Karen pulled out another baseball from the bucket sitting by the side of the pitcher’s mound. A strong wind began blowing through the area as she wound up for another pitch. She pulled her arm back and tossed it towards the catcher’s mitt. However, it instead nailed Janine in the hip.

“Ow! What was that for?!” Janine yelled, holding onto her side.

“Sorry!” Karen said with a wince. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I think so,” Janine said with a sigh.

“I guess the wind factor doesn’t like you,” Whitney observed. “On the bright side, you get to go to first base!” she exclaimed.

Janine scratched her head anxiously, wanting furiously to yell at Whitney. Nothing ever seemed to get through Whitney’s head that she was bothering Janine. Everything seemed to go over her head, even when she made Janine feel uncomfortable. Janine took a deep breath, letting her fury silently fade away. “Whitney, this has got to stop,” she demanded solemnly, placing a surprised look on Whitney and Karen’s faces.

Whitney tilted her head in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t think you really understand me,” Janine stated. “You barged into my life and you always push what  _ you _ want right into my face. You barely give me enough time to think, much less breathe. You think more about what  _ you _ think will make me happy instead of letting me decide that.”

“Oh...” Whitney murmured, beginning to realize what Janine meant.

“I’m sorry, but you can really be a lot to deal with,” Janine explained.

“No, it’s fine,” Whitney replied, waving her hands in the air. “I get it. I just need to tone it down a bit.”

Janine sighed. “I do appreciate you coming into my life,” she admitted. “Without you, I don’t think me and Falkner would’ve... you know...”

“I’m sure it would’ve happened eventually,” Whitney said with a smile. “All you needed was some courage... or losing a bet.”

Janine began to chuckle. “That’s one way to look at it.”

“Are you two going to be alright?” Karen asked, looking over to them. “That was a pretty heavy talk.”

The two girls nodded. “Never better,” Whitney replied.

As Karen had eventually left an hour later, Janine and Whitney were looking up to the twinkling stars filling the night sky. “You know, I’ve been wondering something,” Janine stated.

“Yeah. What’s that?” Whitney asked, continuing to look at the stars.

“When we first met, you seemed insistent that Falkner had a thing for me,” Janine explained. “Why did you want me and Falkner to get together so badly?”

Whitney looked away from the stars and towards Janine, showing a small smile. “I... see two people who are right for each other,” she began. “Maybe I’m wrong, but I think you two have something. I just figured you needed a little push to get together. I think the two of you two are great together,” she said, giving a thumbs up.

Janine smiled back. “Thanks.”

Whitney gave an okay sign with her fingers. “Anytime,” she replied. “And sorry if I’m a bit too...” She began chuckling nervously. “...overbearing at times. I get excited pretty easily.”

“At least you’re aware of that,” Janine replied. “One last question.”

“Shoot.”

“Why did you consider becoming friends with  _ me _ of all people?”

Whitney placed her index finger against her bottom lip. “There’s something different about you, I guess,” she admitted. “You seemed like you needed a friend more than most people do. I figured that out after talking to Falkner. He’s my friend too, you know.”

“You know, as much as you annoy me, I’m happy that you’re around.”

“Thanks,” Whitney said with a grin. “Hey, if you two get married and have a kid, can I name the little tot?”

“What?” Janine asked, baffled by such a question. “No.”

“Come on,” Whitney said, playfully poking Janine with her elbow. “At least let me pick the first letter. If this relationship goes all the way, you can thank me for that.”

“Maybe,” Janine conceded.

The next day, Janine was checking her texts throughout the afternoon as she waited for Falkner in the Celadon Department Store. Finally, Falkner had arrived on the upper flower she stood in. “Hey bird brain,” she greeted with a smirk.

“Good to see you still care,” Falkner replied.

“So, you and my dad get along yet?”

“We’re getting there,” Falkner replied. “We bonded over questioning how to describe the recurrence that is Whitney.”

“That’s  _ one _ way to describe her,” Janine replied. “Any plans for tomorrow?”

Falkner shook his head. “No. Do you?”

“I was thinking about some training. I need to get back in shape,” she explained.

“You want me to be your sparring partner?” Falkner asked.

Janine grinned. “I wouldn’t mind if you were.”

Falkner smirked. “You’re on.”


End file.
